Warmth
by Kodokunatsuki
Summary: Pink sakura petals drifted through the air, carried by a soft breeze. They littered the ground, crushed by the dozens of students in white uniforms, milling around nervously. His skin felt strange. Not bad, just different. The surging reservoir of reiatsu he was used to was cut off from him now, hidden somewhere in his soul. Post Aizen-arc, Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu-centric.
1. Range

This story is based off of black.'s exceptionally good "Range". She is a goddess of one-shots. I bow to her godliness. Please go and read it.

I have her permission to create a story that will hopefully be half as good as hers. I also use some of her writing word-for-word, from "Ichigo raised his eyebrows. 'I know. I'm not an idiot. but...'" to "'Might make a nice change of pace, huh?'"

Please stay with me on this journey. Onegaishimasu.

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By the way, please read all of the overview thingy. It has a bunch of important plot stuff in it that I had no idea how to write into the story and, frankly, felt would just be tedious to do.

I use a lot of Japanese terms, in order to create an atmosphere that is closer to what it would actually be in that world. For any terms that you don't understand, including some that are used in the actual Japanese versions of Bleach (shinigami, reiatsu, etc.), I put notes on each word at the end of the chapter.

Oh, and:

Bleach does not belong to me. At all. Otherwise, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Gin would all make miraculous recoveries. *sniffle* Come back, my beloveds! (And Uryuu would be way more badass.)

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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**Minutes after Aizen's defeat.**

Kurosaki Ichigo finally allows himself to grieve over the deaths of his family. Soon, he collapses in extreme pain and begins the process of losing his powers.

Inoue Orihime, not wanting anyone to cry any longer, heals Ichimaru Gin.

The humans return to the world of the living and the shinigami return to the Soul Society. The few Arrancar that still survive return to the midnight sands of Hueco Mundo.

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**One Month after Aizen's defeat.**

Kurosaki Karin and Kurosaki Yuzu, at the suggestion of their honorary sister Kuchiki Rukia, enter the Shinigami Academy.

Ichimaru Gin is made captain of the Third Company, under the surveillance of the Onmitsukidou. Muguruma Kensei is made captain of Ninth Company, and Hirako Shinji is made captain of Fifth Company.

A new class of shinigami, named Honorary Captain, is formed for those Vizards who have no place in the Gotei 13 otherwise.

In the world of the living, Kurosaki Ichigo awakens from his coma with no reiatsu or family.

Ishida Uryuu and Inoue Orihime explain everything about the shinigami to Asano Keigo, Kojima Mizuiro, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Honshou Chizuru.

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**Two Months after Aizen's defeat.**

Kurosaki Ichigo moves to Tokyo.

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**One Year after Aizen's defeat.**

Kurosaki Karin graduates from the Shinigami Academy at the top of her class and is immediately accepted into Ninth Company as a Fourteenth Seat.

Kurosaki Ichigo stops contacting his friends in Karakura.

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**One Year, Seven Months after Aizen's defeat.**

**_Ishida Uryuu and Inoue Orihime go to Tokyo to visit Kurosaki Ichigo and bring him home for a visit. On their way back to Karakura, they are killed in a terrible car wreck._**

The news makes its way to the Seireitei. There is a funeral held for all three of the humans, which all captains and vice-captains of the Gotei 13 attend. The Arrancar Nelleil tu Odelschwank, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Pesche Guatiche, Dondochakka Bilstin, and Tier Halibel and her Fraccion attend as well.

_**Kurosaki Ichigo, Inoue Orihime, and Ishida Uryuu go missing in the Rukongai.**_

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**One Year, Eight Months after Aizen's defeat.**

On a mission to destroy a huge hollow, Kurosaki Karin nearly loses her life, but is taken over by an inner hollow which has appeared for the first time. Muguruma Kensei and his fellow Vizards immediately begin training her to take control of her demon.

Karin Kurosaki is promoted to Tenth Seat.

Sado Yasutora saves a human from a hollow for the first time since the Winter War.

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**Two Years, one month after Aizen's defeat.**

Kuchiki Rukia is promoted to vice-captain of Thirteenth Company.

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**Three Years after Aizen's defeat.**

Karakura has seen a gradual increase in the amount of hollow attacks aimed at the five humans with abnormal reiatsu, enough for Urahara Kisuke to notice and report to the Soul Society.

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**Four Years after Aizen's defeat.**

Kurosaki Yuzu graduates from the Shinigami Academy and is accepted into Fourth Company.

Kurosaki Karin has been promoted to Fifth Seat.

Holllow attacks on the four humans with abnormally high reiatsu have put other humans at great danger. Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Sado Yasutora have become increasingly worried about the rate of the attacks.

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**Four Years, Two Months after Aizen's defeat.**

A strong hollow attacks Asano Keigo at his home. The others do not arrive in time to save his sister, who tried to protect him from the invisible monster.

The Gotei 13 makes the decision to pull all those with any reiatsu out of the world of the living. Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi, Tsukabishi Tessai return to the Seireitei as new Honorary Captains, and Hanakari Jinta, Tsumugiya Ururu, Sado Yasutora, Asano Keigo, Kojima Mizuiro, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Honshou Chizuru's Chains of Fate are cut so that they can also pass into the Soul Society. Their locations are carefully tracked, and they are found quickly and taken into the Seireitei.

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**Four Years, Three Months after Aizen's defeat.**

Sado Yasutora, Asano Keigo, Kojima Mizuiro, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Honshou Chizuru each enter the Shinigami Academy.

Kurosaki Karin is promoted to Third Seat, and Kurosaki Yuzu is promoted to Seventh Seat. Kurosaki Karin is sent on her first solo mission to the world of the living for two months, to Beijing.

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**Five Years, Six Months after Aizen's defeat.**

Kuchiki Rukia meets a woman with strong enough reiatsu to become a shinigami in the Gotei 13 in the Rukongai during one of her searches for Kurosaki Ichigo, Inoue Orihime, and Ishida Uryuu. The woman helps her understand why a person would rather stay in the uneventful but less better off Rukongai than become a shinigami and live as a soldier in the much nicer Seireitei. After this, Kuchiki Rukia stops searching for her friends, willing to let them rest for a while.

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**Seven Years after Aizen's defeat.**

Sado Yasutora, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Asano Keigo begin their senior year at the Shinigami Academy. Sado is set to join Ninth Company as Seventh Seat, Arisawa is set to join Eleventh Company as Ninth Seat, and Asano is set to join Thirteenth Company as Tenth Seat after their graduation.

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**Eight Years after Aizen's defeat. **

Shiba Kei, Ikari Atsumi, and Hatojiki Akito enter the Shinigami Academy.

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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Dying didn't hurt as much as he would have expected. There was the first initial shock of pain, and then... nothing. Warmth and darkness. A feeling of peace so immense that he didn't even feel the need to think. It was something he hadn't felt since the womb.

It didn't last. Light bloomed beyond his eyelids and a soft ground settled underneath his body. The quiet faded into a soft wind rustling grass and the sound of his breathing - but the peace did not go away. Sunlight warmed his skin, and soft linen caressed his body.

It wasn't hard to open his eyes. The peacefulness didn't go away just because he was returning to his senses. He had to blink several times, as his eyes watered up from the sudden brightness. He sat up slowly, feeling energy imbuing his very bones. Unexpectedly, he yawned, but it was the good kind of yawn that wakes you up after a long, refreshing, deep sleep.

"So, you're awake."

The female voice came from directly next to his ear, making him emit a very unmanly "gyeep!" sound. He snapped his head over to his visitor.

Shiba Kukaku crouched next to him, uncharacteristically solemn-faced. After his initial backwards jerk, Ichigo relaxed. She didn't look like she was about to beat him into the ground, at any rate. "Kukaku-san." He looked down at himself, finding his body clothed in a rich blue yukata (1). "I died."

The statement was simple. There was no sadness, no anger, just plain statement acknowledging that he was no longer part of the living world.

"Yeah, kid." Her voice was simple too. Kukaku sighed and lifted herself straight up, her one hand resting comfortably on her hip. Her eyes moved to the other side of his body. "And you're not the only one."

Ichigo swiveled around to see what she meant. Lying next to him, still in that state of absolute serenity, were his two nakama (2). Ishida wore a pale blue kimono, his face devoid of both his glasses and the calculating expression they emphasized. This was the first time he'd seen his... rival? friend? comrade? so relaxed. Was that what he looked like?

Beyond him was Inoue. She also looked so content, her lips curving up ever so slightly. She wore a navy yukata, contrasting with the bright auburn hair cascading over her shoulders, just barely held in place by her flower pins.

Ishida opened his eyes first. He turned his head to avoid the sun, and saw Ichigo watching him. "Ah - Kurosaki." Somehow, he looked a little dazed, so uncharacteristic for him that Ichigo doubted his eyes for a moment. "You - you're..."

"Spit it out, Ishida." The words had no malice. It was just natural to speak to the Quincy in that way.

"You're not frowning."

It was true. He hadn't even noticed it until that moment, but he couldn't feel that customary tenseness between his eyebrows. It was a strange feeling, but nice, too.

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue was sitting up and rubbing her eyes in a way that would make most teenage boys drool. To Ichigo, it was just adorable, like watching Yuzu wake up. "Kurosaki-kun doesn't look sad."

Ichigo's eyes widened momentarily, then softened. "Yeah, Inoue." He had worried his friends. For the past year and a half, he'd been so selfish - and naive. He wasn't alone, just because the world that had brought their group together closer than any other was cut off to him. They were still worried about him, still wanted to see him and be with him. Wallowing in misery miles away did nothing for him - but just a few minutes around his nakama could. "I'm not sad anymore."

In the next instant, he realized something important. The brilliant, beaming face Orihime showed him and the close-eyed, soft smile on Ishida's lips were worth all of the years of sadness. Those expressions, he would move heaven and earth for. He'd always wanted to protect, but now he knew that just protecting wasn't enough for him.

And so he decided to not make them sad anymore. And that resolution was, rather than heavy and guilty, it was uplifting. He wanted to see more of those smiles - not because he was guilty, but because he wanted to. Because those smiles wiped away all of the needless guilt he'd felt during his life. Because he understood that he was forgiven.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

He turned back to Kukaku. "What?"

She looked at him for a moment. Her eyes seemed like they knew the heaviness of the world, and he remembered that she was decades older than him, and she had lost things, too. "You just died, idiot."  
Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "I know. But it's not like everything ended, right? I'm here. My family's here, too. And..."

And what? He suddenly couldn't think of anything. Wasn't he supposed to be fighting someone? Rescuing someone? Doing something? But instead of a driving urge to move, he still felt relaxed. Peaceful. At ease, even, without the fate of the Soul Society and the world of the living resting on his back, without the grief that had been tearing at him for the last year and a half or so. Surely the original relaxation from death had worn off by now. And, as much as he loved combat, and fighting, he didn't want to go back to that pressure. He wanted to be happy. Even with his powers back - he could feel the reiatsu (3) churning inside of him - he didn't want to immediately plunge right back into conflict. And somehow, he could guess that conflict was what would occur, if he walked up to the gates of the Seireitei and informed them that he was no longer a resident of the living world.

He had to bite back a groan. It was just occurring to him that it had not been the insane, power-obsessed, would-be god who had taken him out. It had been a car. Renji was going to laugh his ass off.

Yet another reason not to immediately present himself in Seireitei.

Kukaku, with a perceptiveness that belied her usual loud personality, seemed to guess what he was thinking. She leaned over and flicked him on the forehead, then brought her fist down hard on the top of his head. While he tried to clear the ringing in his ears (which did not block out Ishida's snort of amusement), she snorted and commented, "You know, there's nothing holding you back now, boy. You're dead. That means no more responsibilities. Sure, you have the power to be a shinigami (4), and you want to protect people - "

Ichigo didn't question how, again, she knew exactly what he was thinking.

" - but you don't have to march right up to the Gotei 13 (5) and let them take you in. You're different than you were before the war; they probably wouldn't even know what to do with you. So why don't you stay here for a bit? Ground yourself, think about your options? I'll even help you get that pig-sticker down to normal sealed size." She nodded towards Zangetsu. "You don't have to be yourself, either, if you don't want to. There are enough bastard sons floating around, and you look enough like a Shiba that I can claim you as a cousin and adopt you into the family. Might make for a nice change of pace, huh?"

Ichigo stared at her in surprise for a moment, then turned back to his nakama. Go to Seireitei, and be the hero of a war he never wanted to fight? Or stay here amidst the peaceful insanity that was the Shiba House, as a Shiba himself, and take his time learning something, not for the sake of saving the world, but for himself?

Ishida looked at him. "We'll stay with you, Kurosaki, whatever you decide to do. We're your friends, after all." His eyes said they understood what Ichigo was feeling. "Besides, you know my feelings on the shinigami."

"Yeah, Kurosaki-kun! You can stay here, and we'll stay with you, if you want. It's like Kukaku-san said - you don't have any responsibilities anymore. You can rest." Orihime understood, too. She would be happy just if he was happy.

It wasn't much of a choice, really.

"Thank you," he told Kukaku with a quick bow. "I'd be honored."

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"You need names."

The three newest residents of the Shiba household paused their eating and looked up from their breakfast. "...Sorry?" Ichigo said in response.

They sat around a zataku (6), a low table, Ganju included, still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes from their first night as spirits. Ichigo was enjoying the quiet, friendly atmosphere, and waking up without his guilt hanging over his head. There was no sun in the subterranean rooms, but it was warm, and just the presence of his friends and his new sister was something to savor.

Ishida, who clearly was not a morning person as he hadn't even bothered to fix the rumpled bed head he was sporting, managed to glance up at Kukaku's statement.

The woman chuckled at the reactions. "You wanna be someone new, right? So you gotta have new names. It's not like there's any paperwork to fill out or anything - this is Rukongai." Her elbow was propped on the table, her chin on her fist. Her wise eyes inspected Ichigo, staring him down without demanding anything other than his truth.

Ichigo blinked, and the spell was gone. In its place, Kukaku sported a grin - nothing too bone-chilling, but still enough to make him somewhat wary. It was always wise to be wary around Kukaku; he had spent all of three days during his life - or existence, he supposed - and he already knew that much. "So... what, you want us to come up with something?" He set his rice bowl and chopsticks down without paying much attention.

"No, no, don't you worry about that. I've got three names right now. I think they'll do perfectly, hm?" She lifted her head of her hand and tapped the table in front of Inoue. "You... Ikari Atsumi. That'll do. Ikari, spelled like this -" she used her finger to draw out the kanji for 'anchor' in reiatsu on the table "- and Atsumi, spelled like this." She carefully added the characters for 'warm' and 'ocean'.

"Eh? That's -" Inoue's face was blushing fiercely. "Are you sure it's - I mean you really don't have to -"

"I think it suits you." Ichigo could feel a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as he looked sideways at her, his cheek resting on his hand. He thought he should intervene before she fainted of oxygen deprivation. He meant what he had said, though. She was the kindest, most caring person he'd ever met.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun! You - you really think so?" Her face was going to burst into flames any moment now. She covered it with her hands, shy, but anyone could see she was pleased.

"Keep it. You should -" the barely-coherent Quincy yawned "- keep it. That's your name from now on, okay, Ikari-chan?" Even in that state, with his eyes barely open, Ishida managed to smile gently at Inoue.

The bright-eyed girl uncovered her face enough to smile back, and opened her mouth to reply. She was abruptly cut off, however, by a strong fist coming down hard on the top of Ishida's drooping head.  
"Wrong!" Kukaku noogied the poor Quincy fiercely. "You say Atsumi-chan, capiche? This is an informal house, and I plan on keeping it that way!"

"Ugh... demon-woman..."

Ichigo was surprised Ishida even had the capacity for humor in his current state. It seemed to satisfy his torturer, however, who gave him one last bonk on the head and sat back.

"So it's settled. This girl is Atsumi-chan now." She glared over at Inoue, who was still blushing, as if daring her to argue.

"I, eh..." The chestnut-haired girl glanced around the table, locking eyes for a moment with each of her friends, then looking back down into her lap. "Thank you very much, Kukaku-san." She looked happy now."

"Hmph. Good. As for you -" she whirled on Ichigo, who flinched minutely on instinct "- you're going to be my dear little otouto (7), Kei-chan." She quickly drew out the kanji for 'respect' as she spoke, grinning at him.

"You're surprisingly good at drawing upside-down, Kukaku-san," he said, eyeing the kanji. Obviously, she thought he had something to learn from it.

"Wrong again!" An open hand came down on his head, grabbing his hair and holding on. "That's nee-san to you, Kei-chan!"

The newly-dubbed Kei-chan gritted his teeth and ground out, "Hai (8), nee-san." For the first time since he had died, he was scowling, but it wasn't the sad, harsh frown it had always been. This was born simply of irritation at the overly rough treatment, a much better kind of scowl. His palms were flat on the table, his elbows bent almost to ninety degrees, straining to keep his chin off the wooden surface.

"Hmph. Good!" She released him a bit more gently. Her eyes held an unreadable emotion as she watched him rub his head, wincing. "It'll get easier, you know," she told him. Then she glanced around to the other two freshly dead souls. "For all of you. One day, you'll wake up and realize that you are Atsumi, or Kei, and you won't be sad about it. And you don't have to be Atsumi or Kei forever. You're free now, to be whoever you want to. And for now, I think this is the best thing for you three - being part of a new family, away from all the battles and warriors."

The room was silent for a minute. Even Ganju stopped shoving food into his mouth. Ichigo, Orihime, and Ishida looked at each other, realizing that everything Kukaku had just said was true. A rest, a chance to be someone other than the people they had always been, without the burdens and sorrows they had always carried. A chance to get to know the world in a new way.

Ishida broke the silence. "So who am I in this new family, then?" He still sounded less than coherent, but he knew just what to say. Ganju went back to his food, and Orihime let her face break into one of her sunniest smiles. Neither one of them, Ichigo realized, had been a part of a family for years. The concept, even to someone like Ishida - or maybe especially to someone like Ishida - was enticing.

Kukaku smiled, an actual smile rather than a grin. "So that's settled. As for you, skinny boy, Here's your name." She drew the characters for 'dove', 'despair', 'clear', and 'person'. "Hatojiki Akito." She laid her forearm on the zataku and watched him, as if seeking his approval.

Ishida nodded. "I like it." He yawned again at the end of his statement. "Now I'm going back to sleep, if you don't mind." He promptly put his head in his arms and closed his eyes.

"Why that cheeky little boy." Kukaku sounded rather amused, though. She shook her head and wiped away the glowing writing on the wood and stood. "You three'd better be ready in the next thirty minutes or so," she instructed as she pointed at them. "You too, Ganju. I want to see what you can do." With that, she turned and strode away.

Ichigo and Orihime exchanged glances, then quickly returned to their breakfast. Ichigo had a feeling they would be needing the energy.

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"So, you brats. Now that I've seen your stuff, we begin Day One." Kukaku lept down from the boulder where she was watching them. "You can't exactly go running around using your pretty bows and fairies if you're going to be someone new, can you? And as for that thing -" she jabbed her finger accusatorily at the giant cleaver that was Zangetsu "- it needs to go. Or change forms, at least."

Ichigo glared at her.

"Now, now, Kei-chan, don't look at me like that. You know it's true." Kukaku smirked at him, remembering his pitiful attempts at controlling his reiatsu during his first visit.

His glare just intensified, although he looked away. "Whatever," he mumbled.

"Eh?" Instantly, Kukaku's smirk turned into a glare as well. She strode over to him and grabbed his hair for the second time that morning. "What was that, little brat?"

"Itai (9)! Eh, nothing at all, Ku- nee-san!" Ichigo's hands hovered over Kukaku's, knowing better than to try to remove it.

Ishida grinned as he looked on. "You really have to learn to control yourself, Kei. You won't survive for long like that."

"Gah! Urusai (10), Ishi- Akito!"

"Enough!"

The Shiba woman lifted her hand and smacked it down on Ichigo's head once more before she stepped back. "No more talking back. You're going to learn manners, boy, if you're going to be Shiba Kei instead of Kurosaki Ichigo."

She placed her hand on her hip and studied them. "I'll teach you two -" she gestured towards Orihime and Ishida "- kidou. You can practice while I help him -" she nodded at Ichigo "- get his zanpaku-tou to look like an actual katana."

"Arigatou (11), Kukaku-san," Orihime said cheerfully. She followed eagerly when Kukaku beckoned for them to follow her. She led them over to the trees at the edge of the field they were in.

"There are two types of kidou, Hadou and Bakudou." She held up one finger. "Hadou is for attacks. They aren't as versatile as some of the Bakudou." The second finger went up. "Bakudou is for defense. There are a lot of miscellaneous spells in this category. However, these are usually harder to control, though not necessarily more powerful.

"Each of the kidou spells, except for a few, have an incantation. If you have mastered the kidou well enough, you can forgo the incantation, but the power of the kidou is reduced."

Ichigo was paying attention for once, instead of zoning off. Kei meant 'respect', after all, and he was Kei now. He decided that is was best if he started acting like it. Ishida and Orihime were listening intently, as well, though he had the feeling Ishida didn't particularly like that he was learning shinigami powers.

"The simplest Hadou is Number One, Ouda (12). There is no incantation for this, and even its name is rarely used - even children in the Rukongai who have a slight bit of reiatsu can form this one. All it is is a sphere of reiatsu held in the palm, which can be thrown."

She held her palm up, and a glowing orb appeared in it. "This is Ouda." Quickly, she slammed it into the tree trunk behind her. The resulting explosion gouged out a large part of the trunk - almost all of the way through. After a moment, the tree fell away under its own weight, the branches crashing into the ground.

Orihime clapped excitedly. "Sugoi (13)! That was great, Kukaku-san!"

The woman smiled at her. "Thank you, Atsumi-chan." She over to Ishida, then back to the brunette. "You and Akito-kun will practice on that boulder over there - it's a bit more sturdy than a tree."

"Hai!" As exuberant as ever, Orihime grabbed Ishida's wrist and dragged him away. Ichigo noticed with amusement he didn't protest.

Kukaku watched them go. "Atsumi-chan is getting more domineering than before. That's good. She needs to toughen up some if she's going to be happy for long." She sighed. "Well, enough of that seriousness. It's time to torture you." She grinned evilly at Ichigo, who felt himself shrinking under her look.

"Let's have some fun, Kei-chan, shall we?"

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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1. yukata - a more casual version of a kimono (kimonos are worn by both men and women)

2. nakama - a very dear friend, more than just someone you hang out with

3. reiatsu - spiritual pressure/energy

4. shinigami - Soul Reaper (lit. death god)

5. Gotei 13 - the Thirteen Court Guard Squads

6. zataku - a low, traditional Japanese eating table

7. otouto - little brother

8. hai - yes (formal)

9. itai – ow

10. urusai - shut up

11. arigatou - thank you

12. ouda - hit, strike

13. sugoi - wow

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Please R&R!


	2. Revelations

Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, alerted, faved, or even just taken the time to read this. I love you all. (Review replies are at the end.)

_Note:_ Nippon/Nihhon is the _actual_ name for Japan.

Once again: I do not own Bleach, nor do I own the original idea for this story.

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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**Almost four months later.**

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"Gah! Away from me, you tyrant!"

Uryu watched as Ichigo bolted across the field, Kukaku's ringing laughter following him. Held in her hand, the tip digging into the ground, was a long katana, almost identical to Tensa Zangetsu in shape - only the guard different, a square rather than a swastika. It's coloring, however, was like a regular sword, a steel blade and wooden hilt, wrapped in a dark green grip. After weeks of training, Ichigo had finally managed to change Zangetsu into a less conspicuous form.

The orange-haired boy finally ran out of steam almost twenty yards away from his torturer, flopping down into the long grass. The sky was just as blue as the day they had arrived in the Soul Society, though the leaves of the trees dotting the field were just starting to change color around the edges.

Uryu was sitting high up in one of those trees, watching his new family train. Over in another part of the grass, Ganju and Orihime exchanged kidou spells. At the moment, however they were taking a break to watch the brother and sister's antics, Ganju laughing at the suffering Kukaku was putting his youngest brother through, and even Orihime was giggling.

"Come on, Kei-kun! Don't let her beat you down!" she cheered.

The redhead pushed himself up and saluted her playfully. "Yes, Ikari-sama!" he replied. An instant later, Zangetsu's new pommel slammed into his gut and Kukaku appeared in front of him. He groaned and bent over, but managed somehow to stay on his feet.

"No time for playing, boy! Now let's see what you can do with that thing!" She reached across her chest and drew her own sword. Ishida couldn't see her face, but the look of dread that crossed Ichigo's features was clear even from his spot in the tree.

It was nice, being here. He didn't just mean sitting up in the tree, either, watching Ichigo and Kukaku go at each other and Orihime mastering spell after spell. Living here, with the Shibas, with the only two people he'd ever become close to other than his grandfather. It was even nice to train, regardless of the fact that he was training in shinigami powers.

He was content. It was a new feeling. He didn't feel a drive to work harder, be better than everyone else. His father's shadow wasn't hanging over him, or his sensei's death.

Uryu stepped off of his high branch, landing on the ground a fraction of a second later. He had always been proud of his speed. He flitted around the field - it was really more of a meadow, with patches of colorful flowers randomly appearing in the long, soft grass. He was practicing shun-po, though he still didn't consider it as fast as Hiren-Kyaku.

Common sense told him that he couldn't use his Quincy powers anymore, though he still trained in them, growing in strength. His reiatsu was more like a shinigami's now that he was a resident of the Soul Society - now that he was dead.

For a minute, he paused and stared up at the clear sky. He was dead now. It was strange, thinking that. It was even stranger realizing... he didn't particularly care. Maybe if he hadn't died next to his nakama, he might be a little more upset, but he didn't mind being dead. He'd never particularly liked the world of the living, with its noise and brightness and fast pace and confusion. One of the reasons being a Quincy had been so attractive to him was its simplicity - exterminate hollows. Don't die. Don't get caught.

Often, Uryu had wished he had been born a few centuries earlier. Now he was in a world that could almost be the old Nippon he dreamed about.

A warm breeze caressed his skin, and Uryu felt his expression soften. The Rukongai was beautiful, whatever the nobles in the Seireitei thought. Perhaps it was far worse out in the higher districts, but at the moment, there was no place he'd rather be.

That was strange too; being content as he was, not wanting anything to be different.

Wind carried more sounds of laughter his way, and he turned to see what was going on. It seemed that Orihime had decided to try out her kidou on poor Ichigo while his took a break from abusing him. A pale yellow kidou rope originating from Orihime's palm chased him around as she and the two Shibas laughed.

"Tired, Kei-chan?" Kukaku bellowed.

"Not - on - your - life!" The redhead barely managed to get the words out through his panting. He put on an extra burst of speed, dashing back towards his 'family'.

When he stopped in front of them, his hands on his knees to keep him up and his head hanging while he hyperventilated, his bright-haired pursuer finally let the kidou disappear. She was trying to hold back her giggles, but Uryu could tell she was fighting a losing battle.

Over the past few months, and after much 'encouragement' from Kukaku (often in the form of shouting and minor violence), Orihime had become more confident and bold. She could tease the rest of them now, though her sweet disposition still won out the majority of the time. She wasn't as afraid to speak up and say what she wanted to now, though Kukaku, of course, still thought there was progress to be made. It was nice, watching a modest and timid girl become a confident and unashamed woman.

Ichigo was changing, too. Watching him pull himself together and put Orihime into a headlock and give her a gentle noogie, Uryu saw it. He was more comfortable now, in his own skin and with the people he cared about - with people in general, even, to some degree. He wasn't constantly worrying, and he wasn't constantly ready to explode.

Living in the Rukongai, with people who treated them like family, with no concerns about how they would react to anything, and with no wars or reminders of their sadness, was good for them.

Even Uryu himself was changing. He was letting himself become closer to his two nakama, to the people who cared about him. Even now, watching instead of being there, he didn't feel as isolated as he had always been.

It was a good feeling.

They had also changed physically, of course. Ichigo's bright orange hair was a bit longer than it had been right after he'd fought Aizen - after those three months spent in his inner world. It looked good, actually, and it would make him less recognizable when it grew even longer. Orihime wore her lengthening hair in a braid, her flower pins tucked through the tie at the end. Uryu's hair was longer too, one side of his bangs pushed back and the other almost covering his right eye. He didn't need his glasses anymore, either. For some reason, death had cured the near-blindness he'd formerly been subjected too. At the moment, he was probably the least recognizable of the three of them.

Finally finished with Orihime's punishment, Ichigo let her go. The girl rubbed her head, scolding him. Her face brightened quickly, though. Excitedly, she said something to Ichigo, gesturing wildly with her arms. He nodded and said something back while his newest siblings looked on. Orihime turned to the open meadow and held her hand out vertically. Her mouth moved, and a whirlwind exploded from her palm. Uryu recognized it from Kukaku's demonstration - Hadou 58, Tenran (1). She had been working on it for a week, unable to get the hang of it, so she was probably very proud of this one - hence her demonstration.

The redhead who she was so eager to show slung an arm around her shoulders, smiling. He said something to her, likely a glowing praise, because she turned and gave him one of her brightest smiles.

A rush of something like warmth filled Uryu's chest. He had always assumed that even though a heart was the center of a person's emotions, you couldn't actually feel those emotions in your physical heart, but this seemed to prove him wrong. There was a tightness in his chest, but it wasn't bad, like the time he'd asked his father why he hated Quincies and heard his answer. It felt nice.

Instinctively, he flitted into the branches of the nearest tree, not even realizing that he had used Hiren Kyaku instead of shun-po, where no one could see him. He watched from between the leaves as Orihime performed her newly mastered kidou again, and Ichigo clapped for her. That warmth strengthened as he watched them.

He leaned back into the tree trunk, tilting his head back to rest it on the back, and out of nowhere he had an epiphany. His whole view of himself suddenly changed. _Oh,_ he thought. _This is what you meant when you talked about the thing I want to protect, oji-san._

Uryu leaned forward again, watching his two nakama talk with smiles on their faces.

_I want to protect that - the happiness of the two people in the world I care about._

.

Ichigo went to bed early that night - not surprising to anyone in the Shiba residence. What did surprise Uryu, however, was Kukaku beckoning for him and Orihime to follow her. She led them into the library, where all of the books on kidou and the history of the Soul Society and records of the Shiba House's secrets were kept. The weapons that were not zanpaku-tou were stored there as well, and Kukaku went over to these.

A moment later, she came back to them with two plain, sheathed katana. They were called asauchi, Uryu remembered, nameless zanpaku-tou. Unless a shinigami combined it with a part of their soul, it was next to powerless against anything but the weaker hollows. Most named zanpaku-tou started out like this - Zangetsu being one of the exceptions.

"You have a choice now," Kukaku told them. "Kei is getting stronger, and you won't be able to keep up with him just with kidou - and you won't be able to fight alongside him with your human powers once he decides that he wants to become a shinigami - which he will, eventually. He'll enter the Shinigami Academy, and join a company, and get himself into danger. So if you want to stay with him, you'll have to learn to use these." She held up the asauchi in her hand.

She was uncharacteristically solemn. Uryu understood what she was saying, and from the look on her face, so did Orihime.

"I understand why you might not want to follow him, and if that's what you decide, then I won't turn you away when he leaves. I know you, Orihime, hate fighting and violence. And Uryu, you hate shinigami. So it's up to you." Their host of the past four months watched them with perceptive eyes. Her use of their former names showed them how sincere she was.

Orihime was the first to reach out and take one of the swords. She barely even thought about it. "I'll go wherever Ichigo does - wherever Kei does. And I'm Atsumi now - I can't be hesitant any longer when it comes time to fight. Using this -" she lifted the sheathed blade "- is just part of my life now."

It wasn't very hard for Uryu, either. His ingrained hatred for all things shinigami gave him pause, but it had already been cracked - he had been training in kidou and shun-po for the past few months, and one of the people whose happiness he realized he wanted to protect was himself a shinigami. It didn't take much consideration for him to reach out as well, though his hand was less confident. "Like Atsumi-chan said - I'm Akito now. I'll follow Kei, too. Someone has to make sure he doesn't slip up and give himself away the moment he arrives in Seireitei."

He slid the katana partway out of its sheath, watching the light be reflected off of the curving steel. This would be different - but he was learning that different didn't always mean bad.

Kukaku nodded, satisfied with their decisions. "I'll start training you with those tomorrow. Sleep with them tonight - you should start communicating with your soul as soon as you can. Now, go get some rest." She walked past them, out of the room, leaving them to contemplate what their future would be like.

"Ishida-kun?"

Orihime's voice was small, timid - Orihime's voice, not Atsumi's, as much as Atsumi was really a part of her now. She hugged her new asauchi to her chest, looking at the floor.

"What is it, Inoue-chan?" he replied, following her lead and using their former names.

"We... have to protect Kurosaki-kun, don't we." It wasn't phrased as a question, but Uryu could tell that she wanted an answer anyway. "We have to... keep his frown away." Her gaze wandered the room, going over the shelves of books and scrolls without really seeing any of them.

Uryu sighed. "That's right, Inoue-chan. And we'll do it, so don't worry too much, ne?"

She nodded firmly. "Right. Because... we love him." Uryu blinked in shock and opened his mouth, presumably to protest, even though at the moment he couldn't speak. As if reading his mind, Orihime, spun around and fixed him with an intense stare. "Don't try to deny it, Ishida-kun. You love him just as much as I do, although maybe not in the same way - or maybe you do." Her look softened. "I'm glad you do."

She looked away again, hugging her katana even closer. "I'm... happy you do. Because you'll want to make sure he's happy just as much as I do. He'll have two people watching over him." She looked... not quite sad or lonely, but not happy, either.

Uryu smiled softly at her, even though she couldn't see him. "Right. Inoue-chan."

She smiled at him once more with somewhat watery eyes. "Arigatou, Ishida-kun."

She started for the door after a moment of understanding passed between them. "Good night, Akito-kun," she offered over her shoulder, returning to the person she was, now. He watched her go, letting random thoughts flash through his mind.

"Love... huh?" he mumbled absently after his long-gone nakama. Once more, he glanced down at the katana, before he shook his head and headed off to his own comfortable futon.

.

When he opened his eyes, he thought he was back in his father's training room under the Karakura General Hospital. After a moment, thought, he realized that this room, though made up of the same block shapes as his father's, was much bigger - big enough that he couldn't see the walls. The ceiling was higher, painted a dark gray, and the lowest sections of the room were a deep blue, while the color lightened as it got higher until it was almost white.

This was the inside of his soul.

He leapt down to a lower surface, and a flash of light caught his eye. The side of one of the larger blocks was made of reika glass. When he looked around, he could just see a hint of another. Most likely, they were scattered all throughout this place.

Uryu went over to the glass and looked through. He saw a meadow - the same meadow they trained in, dotted with trees and patches of brightly colored flowers in long green grass, all under a blue sky with only a few, wispy clouds passing overhead. The plants were moving - blowing in the wind - and he could see one of the small streams on the edge of the area where they practiced flowing quickly.

Entranced, he put his hand up to the glass. Unexpectedly, his fingers slipped through.

At first, the surprise made him yank them back, but when he let them slip through a second time, he kept going, until his arm was in just past his elbow. He could feel the warm air, roused momentarily by a soft breeze and then still again. It made him want to sink into that place.

He stepped forward, letting his arm go in all the way up to his shoulder. His foot entered too, that soft grass meeting his feet. One more step forward, and he would be engulfed in that perfect meadow.

It seemed like he was in some kind of trance. He was moving to take that final step without even pausing to consider the possible consequences. But it was so inviting in there, so warm...

A soft hand landed on his shoulder. He snapped his head around to see who was keeping him away from that wonderful meadow.

His eyes landed on a girl his height, and about his age. She obviously wasn't Japanese - her features were those of a westerner. Her hair was blond, so pale it was almost white, and her skin was very fair. She wore a ragged white robe, with a hood over her head that contained the waves of her hair.

"Sie mussen aufhoren," she told him. He recognized the guttural German, spoken to him by his grandfather. _You must stop,_ she had said.

"Varum?" _Why?_ He wanted to go in, to just rest in that serene place.

"You will not be able to return," she said. She was speaking in Japanese now, though she still had an accent. She pulled him back, drawing him out of the glass.

As he lost that warm sunlight, she knocked her away. Cautioned by her words, however, he didn't immediately return to the panorama.

"Why?" he asked again.

Her eyes stayed locked on his. "That is a world created by your desires. If you enter, you will close your way back, and you will voluntarily trap yourself in that place. Your body will go into a coma and waste away while you wander in there, not caring about anything outside of it." She said all of this bluntly, unashamed of his weakness.

He stared at her. "You have strong desires," she added. "It stands to reason you would have to fight against being consumed by them."

Uryu looked away. He still remembered his first meeting with Ichigo as a Quincy and a shinigami with shame. He so wanted to prove to someone that he was strong, and needed, that he hadn't cared about the consequences of his actions or the situations of his perceived enemies.

The girl, whoever she was (though Uryu had an idea), noticed his expression. "Do not look like that. Yes, you made a mistake, but it is in _die Vergangenheit_, the past. What has been done cannot be undone. You must learn from it, but move on."

She was stern and unsympathetic, and Uryu found that he enjoyed that quality. Straight, honest truth was too often difficult to come by.

He hesitated. "Fine, then." Pushing away unnecessary thoughts of his past, he turned to the question that had been circling in the back of his mind. "Who are you?" he asked.

A corner of her mouth quirked upward. "I think you have already guessed that - though I do compliment you for not assuming." She crossed her arms comfortably.

"You are not yet able to hear my _Name_. I know that it will not be too long of a wait, however."

Uryu nodded slowly, observing her. Blue eyes looked past him, into the dimension beyond the glass. "Take another look," she ordered.

Uryu's eyes widened, then narrowed anxiously. "I might get taken in by it again," he stated softly.

Those crisp blue eyes locked onto his. "Do not be afraid." He lowered his gaze, turning his head away to look across the strange room. _"Höre mir zu."_ _Listen to me._ A warm hand took hold of his chin and turned his head back so they were face-to-face. "_Furcht_, fear, is good. It has allowed humans to survive. But it must be controlled. Your _Furcht_, fear, your _Vut_, anger, your _Leidenschaft_, passion, all must become your _Zielstrebigkeit_, your complete determination. The will to succeed will bring you farther than any raw emotion."

Uryu listened quietly to her lecture, taking in every word. "I will try," he said when she looked to him for a response.

"_Nein._" Her soft hand released him. "Do not try." She jabbed her finger into his chest, emphasizing as she finished, "_Nur tust._" _Just do._

.

He woke that morning before any of the others, just as the sun was showing over the horizon. It was a strange experience for him, who typically had to be coaxed out of bed by Orihime (or kicked out of bed by one of the Shiba siblings). Rather than fixing breakfast for himself and waiting for the rest of the household to rise, he decided that today, he would listen to that latest news of the Rukongai.

For the past two months, every week or so, Hatojiki Akito visited the first district of West Rukongai. He talked with the citizens, in particular the merchants, who were always the first to hear about any new happenings. Gradually, he was compiling an encyclopedia of information about Soul Society and Rukongai.. There was no real purpose to it at the moment, but he had a feeling that someday, it would come in handy.

He hesitated just as he was finished dressing in his yukata. The asauchi lay next to his made futon. A faint trace of reiatsu - his own reiatsu - could be felt from it. Already, it was merging with his soul, becoming his zanpaku-tou.

Uryu sighed and slipped it through his obi (2). The German girl in his soul had instructed him to carry her around with him, wherever he went. In order to have that sword truly become her, it had to be close to him, she said. So far, it had been best to listen to her.

As he shun-po'ed through the cool, still morning air towards the large village that was the first district, he thought about his conversation with her last night. Looking into the scene beyond the glass was hard, and combating the compulsion to enter it and be at rest with determination was hard as well. _"It will get easier,"_ she had said. _"You must learn true control - understanding the desires of your heart and being able to go after them only when it is fit to do so, without being controlled by them yourself."_

She had told him to look at the scene, and find what was wrong with it. Hesitantly, he had guessed that it existed - she had refuted this - or that it was too perfect - also wrong. He had searched through the panorama for ages, looking for anything, and he was wrong on every guess.

"_If you do not know, it is no use to guess. When you arrive at the answer, you will know it." _Instants later, he had woken up.

Uryu grimaced. What was it? What was missing in his heart's paradise? What should be there that wasn't? The girl would never tell him, he was sure of it, and he guessed that until he knew, he would not be able to hear her name. She hadn't even attempted to tell it to him, though she did say that even just a day before, he would not even have been able to hear her voice.

So what was it?

The merchants were just setting up their stall in the market square when he arrived. A few waved to him, and he made his way over to them, catching his breath as he walked normally. He rested a hand on the candy-seller's table. "Ohaiyo (3), Hatojiki-san!" she said cheerfully.

"Ohaiyo, Mizu-san," he replied good-naturedly, still somewhat breathless.

"Are those Shiba's tiring you out? You know you could come lived with me anytime - I'm sure I'm at least a bit more civilized then they are." She smiled. Even though it sounded like teasing, Uryu knew that she was perfectly serious. Being around her made him a bit uncomfortable at times, but she always had the most news. People liked to hang around her stall, eating little bit of candy of just enjoying the smell, and her friendly disposition meant that people were happy to talk to her.

"I'm sorry to say that I'll be staying with them for quite some time, Mizu-san. Someone has to keep them from destroying the Rukongai." He smiled - even if he did occasionally feel awkward around her, she had a similar effect on people to Orihime. Everyone smiled around her.

"Do you have anything for me today?" he asked, moving to business while looking over the fresh candies. Orihime loved the sugary rock candies, and Ichigo was always willing to have chocolate (though Uryu often wondered how the Soul Society, set in something like ancient Japan, could have chocolate.)

"Ah, yes, you'll never believe what happened yesterday! It caused a huge commotion. Shinigami visited us!" Her warm brown eyes were wide with excitement and awe.

Uryu's head snapped up. "Shinigami?" he asked, alarmed.

Mizu nodded eagerly. "Yes, a bunch of them. A big, tall one - a fukutaichou (4)! And he had long red hair, too!" She moved her hands eagerly as she described him, again in a similar way as Orihime. Uryu wasn't paying attention to that, however.

"Abarai Renji-fukutaichou? Of Sixth Company?" Uryu's sense of alarm heightened. His eyes narrowed. "Who else was here?" he demanded.

"Ah - you're really getting worked up about this," Mizu-san said, blinking.

"Just... tell me," the Quincy said. He managed to calm himself down enough to appear normal - nothing would be gained by panicking.

"Ano... (5) the newest fukutaichou, that Kuchiki lady, she was there. She kept Abarai-fukutaichou-sama from shouting too much. And this little black-haired girl was there. Kuchiki-fukutaichou-dono called her Karin-chan?" She looked up as she spoke, remembering. "Ku... something Karin... I think I've heard that name before..."

"Do you know why they were here?" Uryu interrupted her thoughts, anxious for more answers.

"Ah, yes! It was so strange - they were looking for the war hero! They wanted to know if Kurosaki Ichigo-sama had been here! Imagine, the man who saved Soul Society - here!" She very nearly squealed with excitement.

_Inoue-chan would never do that, no matter how worked-up she was,_ Uryu thought with a hint of disdain. He shook his head, removing the superfluous thought. "Arigatou, Mizu-san," he said quickly. He turned away, ready to shun-po back to Kukaku's house.

"Oh? You aren't staying any longer?" Mizu asked. A hint of a pout laced her voice. "Maybe the shinigami will come back this afternoon!"

"Gomen (6), Mizu-san," the raven-haired boy tossed over his shoulder in parting.

He sped towards home quickly, calming his nerves on the way. Obviously, there wasn't anything to worry about just yet - the house was far enough away that their reiatsu couldn't be felt all the way from the first district. Still, he needed to tell Kukaku as soon as he could.

His new zanpaku-tou hummed comfortingly at his side, reminding him to stay determined. He would have to wait to confront the mysteries of his soul until after this problem was taken care of.

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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1. tenran - tornado

2. obi - a belt or sash that hold the kimono closed, usually wider for women

3. ohaiyo - good morning

4. fukutaichou - lieutenant

5. ano - basically it means 'um'

6. gomen - sorry

.

Something I want to make clear now: Even when I put a little more romance in this, _**it will not be a love triangle**._ I loathe love triangles. So, Ishida and Orihime will **not** be rivals for Ichigo's love. I think they see each other more as parteners then anything; they're both devoted to him, or Ishida will be, anyway. (Also, Ichigo is completely effing oblivious to their feelings, so it's not like there's anything to have a rivalry over just yet.)

Also something else to remember: devotion is not the same as love, though it may appear the same. Ishida doesn't love Ichigo, at least not yet. He just wants to make sure that Ichigo - and Orihime, don't forget - is happy.

For anyone wondering about why Uryu's zanpaku-tou speaks German, remember that he is a Quincy. From the names of Quincy techniques, some of which are in Japanese and some of which are in German, I assume that the Quincies originated in Germany, and so at least one of Uryu's ancestors must have been German.

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**Gemini24**: I'm not really putting any romance into the story just yet, but there are more hints in this chapter. I'll probably add more later on, from both characters. Thank you for your review! You're my first one XD!

**La terrible La**: (first of all, love your username ^-^) Thank you so much. I love, love, love detailed reviews. I love the way those three interact, too - remember Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra? And I will be bringing the others back somewhat; I'm slowly working toward a big climax ;), so everyone'll play a part somewhere along the line ^.^.

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Please R&R!


	3. Rain, No Rain

Holy jumping penguins! I can't believe the response I'm getting to this! It makes me so happy *sniffle*. Really, thank you all very much. Review replies at the end of the chapter!

Okay, so prepare yourselves for a big time-skip ^^'. I'm collapsing four years into a single chapter, so... well, we'll see how it goes.

Also, some new perspectives in this chapter! Mostly, this story will be from Ichigo, Orihime, and Ishida's perspective, but I'm going to add in little bits of others' point of view to better tell the story.

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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Ichigo blinked open his eyes, the golden morning sunlight filtering in through the rice-paper doors. The first thing he did, as always, was to reach out to his side and feel for Kurotsuki's (1) smooth sheath. He missed Zangetsu's original form sometimes, but he couldn't deny that it was much less unwieldy now.

The sword hummed a good morning to him. A smile formed on Ichigo's lips, something that was natural for him now. For two years, he'd lived in the Rukongai, and not once had he had to battle anything but his demon sister.

As if responding to his thoughts, the sounds of a scuffle began from the room next to him. "Up! Up, you lazy bum! Healthy young people like you shouldn't have any problem getting up!" Kukaku-nee-san's cheery below could most likely be heard all the way from District 11, nearby. It was the same every morning - one of them would have the momentous task of getting Ishida out of bed. Kukaku's way just happened to wake up the rest of the household as well.

"What, compared to old ladies like you?" Groggy and grumpy were two very accurate adjectives to describe Ishida in the morning; the only one he was nice to at this hour was Orihime.

Ichigo sighed and grinned wryly, sitting up and scratching the back of his head as the two idiots next door battled it out. His fingers had to dig through long, thick hair to reach his scalp, a physical reminder of how he'd changed. His orange hair was a long, waist-length mane now. It would probably have been a filthy and tangled rat's nest if Orihime didn't like to comb it out every few days. She was almost like Yuzu in that way.

A great yawn stretched his jaw wide while he lifted his arms above his head and stretched. He shook his head, clearing his brain from the morning fog, and stood up. The tatami (2) floor felt good on his feet.

He glanced at the rice-paper door again. This home, a traditional Nippon house, was a far cry from the ostentatious, subterranean building Kukaku used to call home. Kukaku had decided that if they were trying to be inconspicuous, then a twenty-foot-tall pair of forearms holding up a giant flapping banner was not exactly ideal. She'd moved them a little more than a year and a half ago, when they'd first learned that the shinigami were looking, however casually, for them.

He had to say, he liked this house much better.

A large crash resounded throughout the house, but Ichigo didn't even jump. Kukaku had probably thrown Ishida onto the zataku again. The "Itai-tai-taiii! Demon!" that followed confirmed his theory.

A light green yukata lay folded next to his bed. He put it on, taking his time, as he listened to Ishida drag himself back to his room to dress and insult Ganju on the way, for good measure. No one could say that mornings at the Shiba home were uneventful. Only on the days when it was Orihime's turn to wake him up was breakfast peaceful.

And none of them would have it any other way. (Except perhaps for Ishida, who would rather just be left to sleep until noon.)

Ichigo slid open the door to the kitchen-slash-eating room, his other hand casually tucked into his obi. "Ohaiyo, Atsumi-chan, nee-san," he greeted. "Oh, and Ganju-boke (3)."

"Ah, urusai," Ganju retorted, not fazed by the designation of idiot after two years of the same thing.

"Hey, boy! Address your elder sister first! Learn some respect!" Kukaku jabbed her chopsticks in his direction.

"I have, nee-san. You've spent two years pounding it into me, how could I not?" His sarcasm was barely detectable - the statement was true, after all.

His sister looked at his suspiciously, but let it go. That was a sign that he wasn't the only one changing. The Kukaku of two years ago would have punched him for something like that. It was something that he was (very, very) grateful for.

"Ohaiyo, Kei-kun!" Orihime said brightly, looking at him upside down from her place at the table in front of him. Little bits of rice stuck to her cheeks - and one to her forehead. Ichigo stepped forward to her and flicked it away.

"How on earth do you do that?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Eh-heh-heh!" Her eyes crinkled at the corners, a smile he loved. She righted herself and gestured to the spot across from her. "Sit down and eat with us, Kei-kun!"

"Thanks, I -"

He stopped speaking when he felt the weight of another person leaning on him. "You know, Akito, some morning I'm just going to let you fall over," he said matter-of-factly to the head face-down on his shoulder.

"And I will kill you," a muffled voice retorted.

Kukaku grinned.

.

Chad wandered around the house on the grounds of the Thirteenth, where they were all house. They were all still kind of in a daze, being dragged from their lives in the world of the living and deposited here. The Gotei 13 had no idea what to do about them, really; it had happened so fast, talking to Urahara-san one day about the sudden mass increase of hollow attacks and arriving at Keigo's house just in time to see his sister speared by the talon of a giant hollow.

The usually idiotic boy was still grieving. He knew that it was because of him that his sister was dead, but he also knew that it wasn't his fault. If anything, Keigo was more perspective than most others, because he knew that his sister hadn't been blaming him when she pushed him out of the way of the invisible thing that had torn a giant hole in their wall. He grieved not because there was nothing he could do, but simply because she was dead, and so they let him.

Rukia's proposition had brought him up a bit, though. Chad smiled. Yesterday, she had walked into the room in which they were all just sitting, and she had thrown a pile of fluffy white bunnies at them. The insanity of it comforted them.

Chad thought over her offer for the fiftieth time that day. He would take it, there was no question about it. It was what Ichigo would do, had he been in that situation. It was what Chad wanted to do. But he had to wonder if the others would follow.

Tatsuki... probably. She'd already been putting her head together with Ichigo's little sister. Plus, she loved a good fight.

Mizuiro... it was hard to tell with him. If he did, it would probably be for the hell of it.

Chizuru... that was hard. Chizuru hadn't been a part of Ichigo's circle of friends. She knew how to push through a tough situation, however. She had told him, only a few days after they left the world of the living, that she didn't have anyone to really say goodbye to. Her parents had disowned her as soon as she entered high school.

Keigo, though. He would definitely do it - become a shinigami. Chad just hoped it wasn't for revenge, but Keigo was smarter than that, however much he liked to be a fool.

Soft footsteps from behind approached him. He turned around to see Ichigo's little sister looking at him, her thumbs through her obi. "Hey, Chad," she said casually.

She looked so different now than she did that time he ran into her while running from a hollow. She wore a shinigami uniform now, sleeveless, like all officers of Ninth Company. Her Gintora, a Chinese straight sword - she was just as abnormal as Ichigo in that way - was strapped to her back. Her hair was long now, and tied up - and streaks of orange ran through it, like a tiger's coloring.

He felt almost sad, seeing that. It was like seeing Ichigo.

"Mmmh." Chad didn't like speaking much - it made him tired, for some strange reason. He raised a hand in greeting.

"I hear you're gonna enter the Shinigami Academy."

"Mmmh."

"Well, kick those spoiled aristocratic butts for me, huh? I swear, some of these new recruits are next to useless if they get so much as a splinter."

"Mmmh."

"... I'm going on my first solo mission soon."

"Hmm..."

"To Beijing. For two months. Only a part of it, of course."

"Mm."

"I've always found it hard to understand how Soul Society only takes in souls from East Asia, but hunts hollows all over the world."

"Mm-hm."

"Are all the other people of the world really so lazy? Or are they just ignorant?"

"Mmmh."

"...I like talking to you."

"Hmm..."

"Well, I'll see ya around, Chad. If Ichigo shows up while I'm gone, give him a good wallop for me."

"Mh."

With that, the tiger-girl shun-po'ed away. _If Ichigo shows up... huh?_ Chad crossed his arms as he leaned back against the wall surrounding Thirteenth's barracks, and closed his eyes. _Ichigo wants to rest,_ he thought to himself. _So if Ichigo wants to rest... then I'll take care of his sisters for him._

Tomorrow, he would tell Rukia yes. He was going to join Ninth Company as soon as he could.

.

"Kouru Haretsu (4)!" Kurotsuki's blade collided with the boulder, and a shock of reiatsu spread throughout it, blasting it apart from the inside. Ichigo's makeshift family cheered loudly.

He grinned. "Woo-hoo! Victory!" Like he had once before, after his first fight with a Menos Grande, he held his fingers up in the classic 'V'.

"Su-go-i Kei-ku-n!" A dense body smashed into his, nearly knocking him over. Orihime's arms were squeezing him so hard he could barely breathe, and when he looked down her mischievous face grinned up at him from between waves of long brunette hair.

"Gack! Tsu-chan, lemmegoIcan'tbreathe!" He had already dropped his zanpaku-tou so that he could push her away by the shoulders, but she had always had a strong grip.

"Ah, mengo (5), Kei-kun!" She released him, beaming.

"Atsumi-chan was just so happy that you finally learned how to do something with your reiatsu other than fling it around wildly," a voice explained in an offhand tone. Ichigo bared his teeth at Ishida - playfully, of course.

"Urusai, Akito!"

"Quiet, Kei-ahou (6)! It shouldn't take any blood of mine four years to create a new technique for your zanpaku-tou!"

"Bakayarou (7)! We aren't related by blood!"

"Not even Renji took that long, Kei."

"Stay out of this, Akito!"

"Why should I?"

"URUSAI!"

"Don't shout at him, flame-head!"

"Look who's talking, baka (8)!"

"Lookat da pretty flowers!"

"Eh?" Three dumbstruck heads turned towards Orihime, holding out a bouquet of meadow flowers in both of her hands and smiling happily.

An instant later, everyone broke out into gales of laughter, and Orihime tossed the flowers up into the air. (Most of them, by either some trick of the wind or really good aim on her part, landed on Ishida. Ichigo was very amused.)

"Really, you shouldn't have such a short fuse by now, Kei-kun. She's been on you like that for years." Orihime brushed stone dust off of his shoulders while they sat on the grass. She liked to do things like this - comb his hair, fix his clothes. She did it to Ishida, too, now that he thought about it.

"I know. But I finally did it today, and she jumps on me!" Ichigo threw up his arms in overdramatic exasperation.

Orihime giggled. "You know she's always like that, no matter how good or bad you do. That's just Kukaku-san for you." She smiled up at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

A surge of reiatsu made them look up at Ishida and Kukaku further out in the field. Kukaku had her hand on her hip, watching him, and he had his zanpaku-tou - a tanto (9), perfect for someone like him (usually, he had it hidden up his sleeve) - drawn. Ichigo could just make out his words as he said, "Sasameku (10), Tenshiyari (11)."

The tanto seemed to melt over his skin. It coated his arms from his fingertips to his shoulders, protecting them. A length of reiatsu grew in his palm, forming a shining spear.

Ishida's mouth moved. "Nagareboshi (12)." He stepped forward and launched the reiatsu-spear, and an instant later, a tree across the field exploded in reiatsu-flames. His expression never even twitched.

"Sugoi..." Orihime murmured. "That one's new, ne, Kei-kun?"

"Yeah, it is. What's that, the third technique since he learned shikai?"

"Yep! Three in two and a half years. Akito-kun can be really amazing sometimes."

Ichigo hated to admit it, but it was true. For a year after Kukaku started training Orihime and him in swordfighting, Ishida had struggled with his zanpaku-tou, wheras Orihime had learned the name of hers within two months. He said it was some sort of puzzle he had to figure out, that his zanpaku-tou gave him. Ichigo didn't know what had triggered it, but the day after spending a few nights in District 11 away from them to help out an acquaintance of his, Ishida's asauchi had changed into a tanto and he knew its name.

Ever since then, Ishida had thrown himself into training with a determination that Ichigo hadn't expected of him. As a Quincy, he hated shinigami and, by association, their powers, but he showed no hesitation about using them now. Ichigo couldn't figure it out - it wasn't like Ishida had anything to prove anymore. So what could motivate him so much?

Kukaku appeared in front of Orihime and him without warning. The grin that she showed was the kind that sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. She pointed imperiously at the other female.

"You next," she ordered.

"But, Kukaku-san -"

"No buts, little girl! You're sparring against me whether you like it or not!"

The change in Orihime from confident, solemn young woman to space-headed girl was next to instantaneous. She dashed away, arms out in front of her, chanting "Iyaiyaiyaiyaiyaiya (13)! Onegai (14), Kukaku-san!" The pyrotechnic chased after her, laughing the whole way.

Ichigo looked up at Ishida. "Have a seat and watch the show," he invited, patting the ground next to him.

A rare smile was offered to him. "Thank you, I will." Ishida lowered himself to the ground, tucking his legs under himself.

"Good," Ichigo said. It was always fun to see Kukaku and Orihime play together. It reminded him of Karin and Yuzu, playing in the park near their house when they were younger.

He hadn't seen his sisters for five and a half years. That was a long time to miss someone. But he got news of them, mostly via Ishida's connections, so he knew they were doing well. They were both shinigami now, and while he did worry about them, he couldn't help but feel proud.

"Ah, look, Atsumi-chan finally drew her zanpaku-tou," Ishida noted. Orihime stood facing Kukaku, her zanpaku-tou held comfortably in her hand. Her opponent had her own blade drawn as well, though it hung at her side while she watched Orihime.

The brunette brushed her fingers lightly down the flat of her blade. "Nakiakasu (15), Kodokunatsuki (16)." Her katana shivered, and suddenly it was different, a long, thin, teardrop-shaped blade, tapering gradually to a needle point.

Orihime suddenly dashed forward, and the clashes of the women's swords rang loudly. They didn't exchange taunts, like any man would, just focused on the fight. Their rules were simple - if Orihime could even knick Kukaku's skin before Kukaku got an opening to wound her badly, then Orihime won. No question.

Kodokunatsuki could do a lot of damage with one tiny little cut.

The two of them stopped suddenly. Orihime bent over and rested her hands on her knees, catching her breath. Kukaku reached up to touch her cheek. She looked at her finger after bringing it away - even though he couldn't see it from this far away, Ichigo knew that there was a drop of deep red blood on her finger.

The usually bubbly girl held out her zanpaku-tou and ordered, "Kaihou!" The strange thin teardrop blade shivered again, and returned to a regular katana. Orihime stepped over to Kukaku and put a worrying hand on her shoulder. She was cheerfully waved off, however.

Ichigo didn't particularly like Orihime's zanpaku-tou. Or, rather, it wasn't the zanpaku-tou that he didn't like, but rather what it represented. Kara Kokoro (17) was the power of Orihime's zanpaku-tou. It leeched out a person's will and heart through lacerations in their skin. It reminded him too much of the Orihime from Las Noches.

He was sure Ishida felt the same way.

Turning his head to glance at Ishida, his eyes met black ones. Well, one, really - the other was almost hidden behind a curtain of black hair. Ishida was studying him carefully, a thoughtful look on his face.

His eyes widened when he caught Ichigo looking at him. "You want something?" the redhead asked carefully. Even after four years with the guy, he couldn't figure Ishida out. It frustrated him to no end.

"Ah - no," the raven said quietly. Hurriedly, he looked away, at the two approaching hurricanes they called Atsumi and Kukaku. Ichigo was left in the shade of the tree next to him when his companion stood up and met the girls a little ways away. He listened to the conversation - tame, compared to most involving his sister - not bothering to do anything but enjoy the day.

.

Rukia stood on the roof of a building in District 17, letting the pouring rain soak through her clothes to her skin. The few passers-by stared up at her as they walked, a few even tripping over their own feet when they forgot to watch where they were going. They marveled at the shinigami lieutenant acting like a village child, up on the peak of a roof in a downpour.

What they didn't see were the white reiraku floating in the air around her, a few of which originated from their own chests. Maybe one in ten was a shade light pink, but none of them was dark enough to draw her attention.

The noble absentmindedly let them run through her fingers, enjoying the silky touch, a soft expression on her usually composed or vibrant face. She looked over the quiet town, taking in the quaint buildings, less uniform and exact than the Seireitei.

After a moment of just standing there, she let the reiraku dissolve into the wet air and leapt into the grey sky, almost flying across the town. Just before she left the town's edges, she felt a strange bit of reiatsu. It was stronger than any of the others, strong enough to be a third or fourth year student in the Shinigami Academy. She turned toward it, holding out her hand and summoning the reiraku. It was bright red - not a dark, blood-red like a shinigami's, so it wasn't honed, and it had never fought more than maybe three hollows.

She grabbed it and leapt toward the place it came from. It led her a little ways into the woods that surrounded 17, but not far. She found herself in a clearing with a view of the town a little ways away. There was a small house there, and a garden. A woman worked in it, pulling up weeds in the rain.

"Why are you doing that now?" she asked when she came within earshot.

The woman, her yukata so streaked with mud that barely any of the original orange color showed, looked up, startled. Her hand went to her side, where Rukia saw an old katana. "What do you want, shinigami?" she shouted, the rain muffling her words somewhat.

Rukia had to speak loudly in return. "Just to talk," she said. "I noticed your reiatsu and wondered who it might be."

The woman shook her head. "Someone who wants only to be left in peace," she told her. She looked over Rukia in silence for a moment. "It's easier to do it now," she said, letting the katana slip out her her hand and turning back to her garden.

"What?" the little shinigami responded, thrown.

"The weeds. When the ground is wet like this, they come up easy." Yanking the weeds out with determination, she kept her eyes on the ground. Rukia watched her quietly, seeing her grit her teeth to pull up a larger one.

"You could be a shinigami, you know," she said to the woman on the ground. She crossed her arms comfortably.

"Oh? And why would I want to do that?" The Rukongai woman didn't look up, though her movements slowed. She sat back on her feet and wiped her brow.

Rukia looked around. The garden was small and slightly crowded, numerous plants intermingling. The house was very small, only one room, and a ways away, there was a small hut, probably with a hole under it, for use as a bathroom. None of this spoke of a comfortable life. And as the only person in District 17 with any substantial reiatsu, she would be the only person who would need to eat - probably the reason for her garden.

"The Seireitei is a lot more comfortable. I grew up in the Rukongai, too - District 78 of the West Rukongai. I became a shinigami to get out of there."

The woman looked up at her. "Maybe you thought that was the only way. But I grew up farther out, too." She gestured behind her, out into the deeper woods. "I don't want to be a shinigami. It might be less comfortable out here to you, but living in there has a price." Weeds lay in a pile next to her, wet dirt clumped in their roots. "You have to give up your peace in there. Maybe not your happiness, but definitely your peace. I don't want to fight those things. I like it here, with my garden and the center of the village just a minute away."

She bent over again, attacking the weeds with a new vigor. "Now, if you don't mind, shinigami-san, I'm going to finish this up so that I can go inside and have some tea."

Rukia stood there for a moment, watching her work hard for no one but herself. She thought about that peace that the woman talked about, and realized that for someone who never wanted anything more in life than to live decently and contentedly, the Rukongai might be so much better than the Gotei 13.

She knew someone who might think like that. Ichigo had gone missing the moment he died - so where had he been? The Rukongai was the only explanation. So why had he stayed so long, if all of his friends and family except for the two with which he died were in the Seireitei?

This woman had just given her the answer. Rukia had spent so long as a noble, in the Gotei 13, that she had forgotten what it was like to be a Rukongai brat. It wasn't just suffering - it wasn't just hardship. It was freedom, too.

Cool, wet dirt met her fingertips when she knelt down next to the woman and wrapped her hand around one of the dark green weeds laying flat, weighed down by the rain. "Not 'shinigami'," she said, enjoying the nostalgia. "My name is Rukia."

For a long moment, she wondered if she was only offending the woman. But after a second or two, her companion looked up and nodded. "I'm Cheiko."

The noble smiled, and turned her attention to the clinging roots of the plant. "I think I'd like to join you for tea, Cheiko-san."

The reply was quiet, hard to hear over the pounding of the rain, but to Rukia it seemed loud and clear. "I think I would like that, Rukia-san."

Ichigo could have his peace for now. When he was ready, Rukia would welcome him home.

.

_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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1. Kurotsuki - Black Moon, Zangetsu's new form

2. tatami - traditional woven mats on the floors of Japanese buildings

3. boke - idiot, dunce, moron, etc., not very nice. Bad Ichigo! *shakes finger!*

4. Kouru Haretsu - freezing explosion

5. mengo - a not-very-sincere slang term for 'sorry'

6. ahou - another word for idiot

7. bakayarou - yet another term for idiot

8. baka - another one ^^'

9. tanto - a Japanese knife

10. sasameku - whisper

11. Tenshiyari - Angel Spear

12. Nagareboshi - shooting star

13. iya - no

14. onegai - please

15. nakiakasu - to weep all through the night

16. Kodokunatsuki - Lonely Moon

.

Sorry, this chapter's a bit shorter than the other two ^^'. Still, I love the first part and the last part the most out of all the things I've written for this story so far, so we'll see how it goes.

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**Maverick14th**: Yeah, it will eventually (like, a long time from now) be IchiIshi. With the names, well, hopefully this chapter will help a little bit ^-^.

**Gemini24**: The family aspect is so great, isn't it? XD I won't be adding any romance until later, so don't worry :). I love Uryu's zanpaku-tou spirit, too. I hadn't really thought about her as a counterpart to Zangetsu, but she is a lot like Tensa Zangetsu, right? Only white, German, and, well, female. Orihime's is pretty cool, too (at least I think, but I'm the one who came up with it, so ^^'), but way, way different. Thanks for reviewing twice! That's awesome!

**Serisa Black**: I'm definitely continuing this as far as possible, so don't worry ^-^. This is my favorite story I've ever written, published or not.

**Ermilus**: Thanks! I hope you continue reading!

**Reina De La Noche**: Hi, from chapter three! XD. Here's Ishida's shikai, although it still has some secrets I haven't shared yet ^.^ . And I love having all the human characters as actual shinigami. Thank you! I will always strive to be the best!

**faerimagic**: Hey! Nice to see you hee! First, one thing. How on freakin' earth are you my best friend - and Dawn's sister - and you're Bleach-illiterate! Geez! Okay, now then. I know, Ishida's so feminine sometimes XD. And he's definitely not the baka that Ichi is. Ex.:  
_Renji_: How do you like that? Pretty cool, huh?  
_Uryu_: You're... how do I put this... You're just like Ichigo!  
_Renji_: Shut up! I don't take that as a compliment!  
_Uryu_: Of course! It wasn't meant as one!  
XD XD

**Selrya**: I'm sorry, ByaIchi isn't going to be the main pairing of this fic, if it appears T.T . But Byakuya will play a big part - very similar to the one he plays in Range, actually, just without the focus on romance - and he will get closer to Ichigo. If you had to chose between one-sided ByaIchi and just hints of possible ByaIchi, which would it be? Because I love that pairing too, and I want to know what my readers would prefer.

**La terrible La**: Yes, yes, Orihime is so adorable. So is Ishida ^-^. There is plenty of adorableness in this chapter, so I hope you're happy. Lots of colorfulness, too XD. Yay! Thank you so much for reviewing again!

.

Please R&R! ^-^


	4. Sunset

Oh, my god, I am so, so sorry it took this long to get this chapter written and up. I had, like, a million things going on - I had to visit family, and I got banned from the computer and I was pretty depressed for a little bit cause I stopped taking my meds, but those are all just excuses. Finally writing this made me feel a lot better though, so all's well that ends well, I guess.

So, I probably won't be updating as quickly, probably like once a week. I just got my blue belt in karate, so I've decided to dedicate myself to it more. But my AP classes are all done, so I'll have plenty of free time to write, so maybe I will update more often. Ah, who knows.

Anyway, on with the story!

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

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The night air was cool and still. A half-moon hung suspended in the navy blue sky, bright stars scattered around it. Spring was approaching quickly, and Orihime knew that Ichigo was ready, now, to leave the calm of the Rukongai and return to a world of battles and strength. Kukaku knew it, too, and she wasn't going to let him stay a moment more than he needed to.

Four bursts of light leapt from the tip of Orihime's braid in quick succession. Three formed a triangle in front of her, the fourth sitting in the center. "Shiten Koushun (Four-Heaven Resisting Shield)!" she demanded. "I reject!"

Golden light connected them all, filling in the triangle. Uryu, straight ahead of her, raised his arm - in his hand, he held a small, white bow, a solid one - and aimed it straight ahead. Bracing herself, she grit her teeth and placed her palms against the shield.

Eight arrows rapidly launched themselves and collided with her shield. Instantly, they vanished, and bursts of pure energy, equal in strength to the arrows, retraced their paths. Only a quick Hiren Kyaku saved Uryu from the force of his own attack.

Orihime let her Shun-Shun Rikka return to her flower-petal hairpins, tucked in the tie at the end of her braid. She rested her hands on her knees, breathing deeply in and out. The thick, muggy August air didn't help much, but her slight trembling from the exertion of using this new shield calmed.

A thin hand was placed on her shoulder, steadying her. "Good job, Atsumi-chan." her companion said. "You got it to work."

"I never bought it would take so much effort to use two kinds of rejection at the same time," she murmured, to the night air more than him, really. Straightening, she smiled wearily at him.

Uryu studied her solemnly. "You can be really amazing when you put your mind to it," he commented. Turning away, he offered a piece of advice. "Just don't let your heart waver. The moment uncertainty enters your soul, you fail." The moon seemed to shine a little brighter with the truth of his words.

She knew it was true. When focused, determined, she could do extraordinary things. Long ago, Aizen (_Aizen-sama_, a quiet voice in her head whispered) had said it; she had powers that surpassed the gods. There was no explanation for it, for why she, out of all of the people in the world, had this ability. It was just the way things were, and she wasn't about to waste that power.

Orihime sat down lightly on the grass and laid back, looking up at the stars. Uryu joined her, relaxing. " Kei-kun's getting restless," she stated quietly. "I don't think he even realizes it, but he is."

Hearing the rustle of grass rather than seeing Uryu's head turn toward her, she let her eyes flutter closed. Behind her eyelids, she watched again the latest sparring session between Ichigo and Kukaku. He had battled with an aggression she hadn't seen since he died.

The feeling that filled her wasn't bad, exactly, but a strange combination of happiness and sadness. Joy, because it meant that Ichigo was really healed now. Sadness, because this dream-like time here in the Rukongai was coming to an end.

Uryu scoffed. "Of course he doesn't realize it. He's... beyond dense." He felt somewhat the same way as she did, she knew, but for him it was different. The little bit of joy at Ichigo's healing was eclipsed by sadness and frustration. He didn't want to share Ichigo and Orihime with the rest of the world. He was even getting jealous of Kukaku now. Uryu liked the idea of it being the three of them against the world.

Truthfully, she wouldn't mind that either. But his love was different from hers. Both of them wanted Ichigo to be happy, but Uryu wanted more for Ichigo to be happy with him - with the two of them, because they were too much of a family for him to be jealous of her - and vice-versa. His love, like hers wasn't even especially romantic at the moment, but it was strong.

After six and a half years, it should be.

"Kei-kun... wouldn't leave us. He would never, ever leave us." The reassuring words weren't only meant for the raven-haired boy. She was telling herself, too. After a moment, she opened her eyes and let her gaze drift across the stars.

Her companion didn't respond. The rustle of grass told her that he had turned his face back toward the sky. For a long while, neither of them spoke, instead listening to the sounds of the night without really hearing them.

Orihime just thought about Ichigo. In the stars, she saw his face, made beautiful by the crooked, but true, smile on his lips. She saw his Kurotsuki, and the hollow mask he'd only recently begun to summon, one colored all red, as if the slowly evolving designs had simply spread until they didn't have anywhere else to go. She saw him sitting cross-legged, sipping a cup of Kukaku's wonderful green tea, and him with his brow furrowed in concentration, not irritation, holding up his arms to perform his first successful kidou. She saw him with his arm around Uryu's shoulders, grinning while the Quincy tried to remain composed, and climbing the giant tree near their home. In her mind, he faced off against Kukaku, wandered through the district 11 market, and sat quietly while she ran her fingers through his fiery, waist-long hair. He led her and Uryu up onto the roof on New Year's, carrying warm blankets, and they watched the sunrise together.

.

Warm hands shook her gently. She moaned softly and rolled over. Her futon seemed unusually lumpy and hard, not to mention cold and wet. Had she kicked off her blankets in the middle of the night? It wasn't uncommon.

She was shaken again. Ignoring this person wasn't working. She tried to yawn quietly, and instantly received a mouthful of grass.

"Plthek!" The brunette pushed herself up so quickly she nearly fell over. Little "ptooie!" sounds could be heard coming from her. Once she had finished cleaning out her mouth, she coughed once and sat back on her feet.

Uryu had the back of his wrist pressed up against his mouth, his shoulders shaking. His blue eyes were watching her with great amusement. Her indignant glare did nothing to dissuade his laughter; in fact, his shoulders only shook harder, and he bent over, his other hand on his stomach.

They walked home in a comfortable silence. Uryu's Quincy cross was hidden away again, secured on a ribbon wrapped tight around his upper arm. The two of them couldn't allow anyone to see the powers they had held as humans.

Both of them had bare feet, foregoing sandals for their nighttime training. The dewy grass felt good on Orihime's fet and between her toes. She walked slowly, enjoying the feeling, with her hands clasped behind her back. Her head hung lower than usual, though, watching the ground pass by.

When they reached the house, she motioned for Uryu to go in without her. "I'll come in in a minute," she said quietly. He studied her for a moment, then nodded and went in, sliding the door shut behind him.

Orihime looked up at the lightening sky. It was just beginning to turn a pale orange. A little ways away, a bird flew from the tall tree, silhouetted against the sky. There was still no wind, the sun not yet up enough to warm the air currents. She gazed around the familiar landscape, what had been home for the past six years. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

Saying goodbye to this place would be sad. She'd had a home - a real home, not just a place where she slept - for the first time since _(Aizen-sama and Las Noches)_ her brother had died. And it was nice to have a sister, or something like a sister. Even having Ganju around was fun.

Yawning deeply, she stretched her arms out above her head. Turning her back on the scenery, she made her way inside, where Uryu was already boiling water for tea. He nodded to her, and she smiled in response, feeling better about what was coming today. Sure, they were leaving, but this home would still be there, still welcome them when they needed it. And Ichigo needed, right now, to move on, and she would follow him anywhere, no matter the consequences.

In her room, she pulled out a soft pink yukata and pulled it on. She draped her braid over her shoulder and slid off the ribbon that kept it together, removing her flower pins along with it. Chestnut hair unwound as she combed her fingers through it, falling just past her hips. In the first few months of living in the Rukongai, when they were still figuring things out, Orihime had told Kukaku that she would not cut her hair, even to disguise herself. Even though she had not seen Tatuki for years, even though she was Ikari Atsumi now, she still felt so close to her former protector, and she still trusted that if she ever needed it, Tatsuki would move mountains (perhaps even literally) to come to her aid.

Letting her hair hang loose, she wandered into the kitchen. A cup of green tea was already sitting on the zataku (1), steam curling upward from the rim. She bent over and picked it up, wrapping her hands around it. The heat from the fresh tea had already soaked through the ceramic, making it warm against her skin. She wasn't cold, but it felt nice.

Uryu was nowhere to be seen, so she assumed that he, like her, had gone to his room to get properly dressed for the day in clothing not stained by grass. She sat down at the table, her head tilted absently toward the ceiling as she drank periodically from the cup clasped in her hands.

Before long, another person entered the room. It was Kukaku, already fully awake and dressed. "Ohayo (2), Atsumi-chan," the older woman grinned. She dropped herself down in front of the table as well.

Kukaku observed Orihime with the same awareness and understanding that she had shown so long ago when they first arrived. "I'll miss having you three around," she murmured lazily. "Not that I'll be informing Kei-chan of this fact," she added, waving her hand airily. She grinned at Orihime, dropping her forearm back to the table.

Slowly, that grin faded back into a more contemplative look. Kukaku tapped Orihime lightly on the arm with her finger, just enough to make sure she had her attention. "Take care of my otouto (3) for me, ne (4)?" she told the girl firmly. "I put a lotta work into clearing away all the baggage heaped on him, I don't need those idiots in there piling it on him again."

Orihime finally looked at her and gave a small smile. "Don't worry, Kukaku-san," she said, her voice like steel. "I won't let them."

.

It was into the afternoon before it finally happened. Orihime was watching Ichigo and Uryu circle each other, zanpaku-tou's drawn, from the roof of the house. They liked to spar, the remnants of their previous rivalry showing themselves only here.

"Why're you taking so long?" Ichigo shouted to the slender raven. "I thought you liked to catch your enemies off guard!" He was grinning, Kurotsuki held casually out in front of him with both hands.

"Are you implying that I'm a coward, Kei?" Uryu said cooly from his fighting stance, one hand holding the hilt of his tanto (5) so that the blade ran down, not up, when he held his fist out, and the other open like a blade itself in front of him, his body almost crouching.

Ichigo laughed. "So what if I am?" he challenged. "Even you have to admit that sneaking up on your enemy's back and stabbing it before they have time to turn around is -"

His rant was interrupted by the very thing it was about. Orihime could barely even see them move; in an instant, Uryu appeared behind Ichigo, who whirled around and stopped Tenshiyari's blade inches from his skin. A moment later, Uryu had vanished again, appearing a few feet away. With any other opponent, she knew, he would attack from behind again, the first move having only been a feint, but Ichigo knew that trick too well from hundreds of mock-battles.

The redhead launched himself forward, long orange hair flying wildly behind him, ready to match blades with the knife-wielder, when something hit him hard enough in the side of the head to knock him over. Orihime leapt down from the roof immediately and hurried over, worried, when Kukaku's snort of laughter sounded from the porch. She slowed, knowing that Ichigo was alright, even though he was groaning and rubbing his head with a dazed look.

"Kuso (6), woman, did you have to throw it so hard?" he grumbled. He didn't shout, he didn't stand up and point angrily at his sister; he was mature now, in a way he didn't have the ability to be before.

It gave her a warm feeling in her chest.

"Don't grumble, brat! Take a look at it!" She pointed imperiously at the thing on the ground. Ichigo picked it up, finding that it was a bottle filled with some sort of liquid.

"What's this?" he asked warily, turning the bottle in different directions and listening to the sloshing of its contents.

"Hair dye. A coat of that and you'll look like a normal person again." Orihime could see that Kukaku was grinning - not unusual for her, of course, but this grin was a bit sad behind the mischievousness.

"And why are you throwing at me now, nee-san?" he asked. Past him, Uryu rolled his eyes, exasperated by his nakama's complete thickheadedness. "I've been running around the Rukongai with orange hair for the past -" he had to pause to think about it, his eyes flicking upward for a moment and then back down to Kukaku "- six years, so what's it matter now?"

"I'm kicking your lazy butt outta here," she responded without hesitation. His dumbstruck look made her grin all the more amused (and a bit sadistic, Orihime thought). "You're going to the shinigami if I have to kick you all the way there myself," she added for good measure. "It's time to get out there, otouto."

She spun around and strode inside again, sliding the door shut hard behind her. Ichigo looked between his two nakama and the bottle in his hands, his face saying that he was still trying to comprehend her announcement.

Orihime couldn't take it anymore. She giggled. As soon as the two males' attention turned to her, she clapped her hands over her mouth, but she couldn't hold back her laughter. Soon, she had to remove her hands to gasp in more oxygen. "The look... on your face..." she wheezed out. The sadness and pride and happiness and loneliness and all of it had caught up to her, fueling her sudden hysterical amusement.

Uryu shook his head and sighed. "Let's go inside," he said wearily. "Maybe you two can pull yourselves together in there." He started toward the building, a dazed redhead and breathless brunette trailing him like ducklings.

She could barely see past the spots appearing in her sight _(oooh, pretty, rainbow)_, but she managed to see Uryu turn back as he reached the porch and survey their surroundings. He lifted his head to the sky, much the same way as she had herself this morning, and his lips formed words, even though no sound left them.

Only once they were inside did she figure out what he had said, silently, to the soft blue sky.

"_Sayonara (7), risoukyou (8)_."

.

She was bone-tired. The only sleep she had gotten last night was a few hours laying on cold ground outside. Before that, she'd exhausted herself trying to combine two parts of her soul that didn't naturally mix, and this afternoon, she'd spent hours dying her own and Ichigo's hair and packing for tomorrow. Not to mention all of her worrying and thinking about what her - their - life would be like from here on. Now she only wanted to sleep.

But she wanted something else, too. As mentally exhausted as she was, she still felt the need to do one more thing before she slept - or, really, while she slept. She laid down on her soft and comfortable futon, truly relaxing for the first time that day. Already she was drifting off, even as she pulled her blankets up to her chin to keep her warm. The last thing she did before falling into a deep sleep was pull her precious Kodokunatsuki up to her chest and hold it tight.

For a little while, her mind indulged in much-needed rest. Gradually, though, she became aware of muted voices around her, and a soft ambient light filtering in through her eyelids. She lay prone on something soft which shifted with the movements of her body. She recognized the feeling - this was sand, sand so fine that it was almost dust.

The recognition pulled her into awareness. She sat up, feeling fresh and relaxed. Halfway up, though, her head collided with something hard.

"Gyah!" She flopped back, pressing her palms to her suddenly sore forehead. From somewhere nearby, a deep voice chanted "Itai-tai-tai-tai-tai (9)."

She opened her eyes carefully to a black sky. A crescent moon hung in the sky. No clouds surrounded it, but neither did stars. Turning her head to the chanting, she found a black-haired man in a shihakusho, kneeling next to her, his hands also pressed to his forehead.

He looked up and saw her staring at him. "You have a freakishly hard head, Orihime," he complained.

"You say that every time," a cool voice said from behind her. "And yet you always manage to make the same mistake." She turned and craned her neck up, to see a familiar pale man with green tear streaks down his cheeks.

"Aw, shove it, Ulqui," she shinigami said good-naturedly. Ulquiorra, dressed in the same Espada uniform as always, regarded him neutrally and turned away. "Well, I feel hurt," the shinigami declared.

Orihime turned back to him and giggled. "Silly Kaien-san," she said, the pain in her head already fading. Nothing hurt for long, here.

"Oh, what did he do now, Hinadori-chan (10)?" a warm voice asked. A woman with hair of a color similar to her own approached, wearing a flowing grass green skirt and a pale yellow blouse. She was beautiful, and just her presence seemed to lighten the girl's heart.

"Ah, Masaki-san!" She beamed at the woman who couldn't help but be a mother to all she met. Kurosaki Masaki was as beautiful as Tatsuki had said, and she always had felt so honored to have Ichigo's beloved mother residing in her soul.

It was as inexplicable as her Shun-Shun Rikka. The dead loved ones of the people closest to her lived on inside her inner world. Rukia's mentor, Uryu's grandfather, Ichigo's mother - and her own keeper during her time in Las Noches (_her time serving Aizen-sama_). It was a phenomenon she couldn't explain, but something that she was so grateful for whoever, or whatever, had given her this.

Orihime looked down. Sure enough, a young child hung onto Masaki-san's skirt, peeking out from behind her leg. The mother's hand was placed on the top of her head. When she saw Orihime looking at her, she detached herself and dashed over. The little girl climbed into her lap, wrapped her arms around her torso, and buried her head in her stomach. A muffled "Okaeri (11), Hime-sama" emerged from the bundle of gray fabric in her lap.

The brunette's expression softened, and like Masaki-san, she placed a comforting hand on the little girl's head. "Arigatou (12), Tsuki-chan," she murmured.

A long finger poked her in the side of the head. "Ne (13), Orihime, what's goin' on?" Kaien's concerned voice asked. She looked up, startled, realizing only then that her expression had become sadder than she had intended.

"Ah, it's... We're leaving tomorrow," she said softly. She looked over at the marble building sitting in the sand, surrounded by a wall a few feet taller than her. Her old school building, the place where she had met Ichigo, and Uryu, and Chad, and Rukia, and everyone else but Tatsuki, stood there, stark against the obsidian sky.

She felt a cool hand settle on her shoulder, and turned her head to meet Ulquiorra's emerald gaze. "It's alright, Ulquiorra-san," she assured him. "It's just a little..." She trailed off, looking down at the smooth white sand between her fingers. "It's not... a surprise. Kei-kun - Ichigo-kun is... ready now. He has to... move on, or..."

It was getting harder to get the words out. She heard another person approach - Souken-san. But she didn't look up, couldn't look. The selfish, twisting feeling she'd been burying all day was building up, forming a block in her throat that the words couldn't get past.

Warm arms encircled her. Soft hair brushed against her cheek, and a hand guided her head onto a shoulder. "Shh, itoshii (14), shh, omoimono (15). It's alright." Caring fingers stroked her hair, and a cheek rested against her head. "Let it out."

Orihime's hands clutched at Masaki-san blouse, and her face was buried in the crook of her neck. She trembled, trying to hold in the tears threatening to spill.

Kaien's strong hand smoothed down her hair, replacing Masaki-san's so that it could stroke her back, instead. In between the orange-haired woman and Orihime, the little child hugged the bigger girl in her arms even tighter.

"Onna (16)," Ulquiorra's smooth voice said from beside her. It wasn't the monotone it had been when she first met him. Certainly, he wasn't a paragon of emotion, but he could feel things now. "You are the most... kind... caring person I have ever met." He paused, as if he was unsure of what he should say or how to say it. "It is not... bad for you to... want something for yourself, when you give so much to others."

Now she was really crying, sobbing quietly into the shoulder of the only mother figure she'd ever had. Beyond Masaki-san, another person approached, his footsteps muffled by the soft sand. She felt Souken-sensei's gaze on her as he spoke, as wise and kind as always.

"Orihime-chan, you are very brave. You are going to leave the first place that has made you truly happy, because you will follow your loved ones anywhere in order to protect them. You trained for six years so that you could fight alongside them. You haven't seen many of your friends for years so that two of your others could have something precious to them. It isn't shameful to be scared and uncertain sometimes - and you always try to push through anything in your way. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is alright to let it out."

"They love you so much, omoimono. So much." Masaki shifted her head to place a comforting kiss on the side of Orihime's head. "They don't want you to hurt, just like you don't want them to hurt."

Kaien's hand was warm on the top of her head. "Maybe I don't know exactly what you feel. But I do know one thing - you can trust your nakama with anything. So you should tell them - tell them that you're scared. You heal everyone else - now it's their turn to heal you. And no one can do that better than your friends."

Ulquiorra's thin hand sat awkwardly on her shoulder, but his thumb stroking the very top of her arm was oddly soothing. "You said once that you and your nakama shared a heart, that you all cared about one another. You told me that if one of them was in your position, you would rush to rescue them as well. I would imagine that you would want to know if one of your nakama was hurting. You would want to help them."

He paused for a moment, the movement of his thumb slowing. Hesitantly, he continued. "I have learned from you that emotions... are not simply good or bad, and even bad emotions can be good. Your friends would surely understand that as well."

Their kind words fueled her sobs, but they were from relief and gratefulness now. Her hands kneaded Masaki-san's blouse like a cat's paws, clinging to the silk fabric. Gradually, surrounded by their unyielding support, she quieted, emitting only soft hiccups.

She pulled her face away from Masaki-san's neck, bringing a hand up to rub her eyes. The older woman released her, sitting back on the sand, her legs tucked elegantly beside her. She held Orihime's other hand gently, caringly.

Tsuki-chan, in her lap, looked up at her with large, innocent doe eyes, her bottom lip trembling slightly. "Hime-onee-sama, I love you."

It was so sweet that Orihime couldn't help but smile down at the child, though it was a bit watery. "Arigatou, Tsuki-chan," she whispered, her throat sore from crying. She stroked the girl's hair much the same way hers had been stroked minutes earlier.

"Orihime-chan," Souken-sensei's grandfatherly voice said. She looked up to meet his eyes, which were caring but solemn.

"Hai (17), Souken-sensei?" she responded, clearing her throat in an attempt to speak properly.

"When you wake up, go to your friends."

She opened her mouth, then paused, suddenly unsure of herself. "I..." she started, her mind strangely... blank. For the first time in... ages, really.

"Go to them, Orihime. You'll feel better." Kaien's hand ruffled her hair one last time before pulling away.

She looked at Masaki-san, who smiled in encouragement, and down at Tsuki-chan, who sniffled and gave a smile similar to Masaki's. Ulquiorra, on her other side, nodded solemnly.

Wiping her nose and eyes one more time, she nodded back. "Hai," she whispered hoarsely.

Once again, she closed her eyes and fell into the comforting gray space between consciousness and her inner world.

Five people - four separate souls and a part of another - watched as her body dissolved into glittering specks of light that soon vanished completely.

.

Orihime woke quickly, though her mind was still moving slowly. Remembering her promise to the souls inside of her, she pushed the covers off and lifted herself up from the futon, bringing her katana with her.

All she wore was a fundoshi (18) and a simple, short, thin kimono - the kind worn under every kimono, which Rukia had worn during her time as a prisoner.

White was comforting. There were no crazy patterns, which she liked to wear but sometimes could not stand to look at, and no bright colors, which sometimes hurt her eyes _(the way the sun did)_. White was comforting. _(White was home.)_

Clutching Kodokunatsuki to her chest with both arms, keeping her body warm as well, she made her way as quietly as possible to the door and down the hall, her bare feet making no sound as they touched the tatami floors.

At Ichigo's door, she hesitated. In the silence, another door slid open, and Uryu, clad in the same white that she was _(an ally)_, slipped into the hall. They studied each other silently.

Uryu was the first to break the silence. "You too, hm," he murmured, a sigh in his words. He gave her a wry smile, then slid closed his door silently and joined her at Ichigo's.

Uryu seemed to hesitate, like she had, but it was him who entered first. Orihime followed, looking around the small room, seeing the small painting of a foggy mountain hanging on the wall and the long katana laid at the side of a futon. The door to the outside was open a few inches, letting in the cool night breeze and making her shiver slightly.

Uryu's fingers brushed her arm softly, the look in his eyes concerned. Her lips twitched upward in response, lessening the concern but not eradicating it. He bent down and placed his own Tenshiyari next to Kurotsuki on the floor. She hadn't even noticed it in his hand until then.

Orihime knelt and let Kodokunatsuki join them, too. Looking over at the futon, she saw Ichigo sprawled on his stomach, his head turned toward her in his arms. Black hair was splayed across the covers, an unfamiliar sight for her, when she was so used to seeing bright orange. That was the only bright color, it seemed, that didn't hurt her eyes.

On the other side of the bed, Uryu lifted the sheets. Glancing up at her for a second, he slid underneath them, looking up once he was all the way under to prompt her to follow. Tentatively, she followed his lead.

Next to Ichigo, it was warm. The heat from his body seemed to go all the way to her bones. That calm blankness of her mind returned, and she closed her eyes. Everything was alright now, because Ichigo was there. Even that voice in the back of her mind that spoke of darker things was silent, laid to rest.

A shift of the pillow made her crack one eye open. Chocolate brown was staring drowsily back at her. After a moment, Ichigo's head turned the other way, towards Uryu. She shut her eyes again, too tired to keep them open.

The last thing she remembered was a strong arm coming up to drape over her side and pull her closer. She knew it was the same for Uryu, but that was alright.

Everything was alright.

.

Three small gravestones sat under the large sakura (19) tree, overlooking the cemetery in full bloom. Three people, invisible to the human eye, crouched in front of them, carefully wiping them down and arranging crest flowers in front of them.

One was tall, and dark-skinned, watching over the other two as they worked. The second wore a sleeveless shihakusho and had her tiger-striped hair up in a high ponytail. The third was the smallest of the group, with brown hair done in pigtails that draped over her shoulders, one side of her bangs kept back by a strawberry-shaped hair clip.

From a cliff a short ways above them, a white-haired man in a white suit watched them, lazily smoking a slim cigarette. His expression seemed to be completely neutral, his gaze disinterested. But there was a spark in his eyes, of something more, something that said he cared.

He knew it was there. He was not one to practice self-deception. And he knew that it meant he was changing. Perhaps his good-for-nothing son had actually managed to do something right for once, if Ryuken could still care about him.

Or perhaps the smoking was finally affecting his brain.

The three shinigami laid out a blanket and sat down to eat. The brown-haired girl presented food with a pride visible even from his vantage point above them. His sharp eyes picked up on the upward curve of lips on the gentle giant, though he could not see the tiger-girl's reaction.

The sun traveled slowly across the sky as they ate, still waking up from the cold winter. Ryuken watched them eat in front of the graves of his foolish son and his two - it was so strange to say it - friends.

He could never have imagined someone bothering to clean Uryu's grave. The boy had isolated himself from human contact as soon as he was old enough to walk. He had never talked to those outside the family unless it was to answer a question addressed directly to him. The only person he'd ever taken to was his old-fashioned grandfather.

These people must have really been something. Braking through Uryu's walls, built up by that woman for so long, by any other means then battle was... difficult.

It was when she was packing up that the smallest girl's head snapped up to look straight at him. If he was at all surprised, he didn't show it.

Casually, he dropped what was remaining of his cigarette and crushed it under his foot. His jump down was more of a step, really, as if the graves had only been a foot or so away to begin with, rather than several meters down and out.

The tiger girl started when he landed gracefully next to them, and even the giant looked a bit startled. The little girl - Kurosaki Yuzu, if he remembered correctly from Isshin's nonsensical babblings - just studied him seriously, though.

"You came to the funeral," she said. "You didn't stay for long, though." Creases in between her brows showed the puzzlement that surely came from trying to place a name with his face.

"Of course not. I had no interest in chit-chat with shinigami or monsters, and it wasn't like my idiot son would know the difference from his place in the Soul Society." He ignored the recognition in her widening eyes, glancing at the leftmost grave marker.

"So, you're Ishida's old man, huh." The tiger girl - Kurosaki Karin - looked him up and down almost disapprovingly. "Well, at least you're hot."

"Karin-chan!"

Kurosaki Yuzu looked just short of mortified. It was a bit amusing, actually. The giant, Sado Yasutora, looked amused as well, one side of his mouth crooked up.

Kurosaki Karin looked totally and completely unashamed.

As with most things that he decided were unimportant, he ignored the comment, which was more of and insult than a compliment, anyway. "I'm surprised you even know his name," he said instead. One hand rested comfortably in the pocket of his dress pants. "The boy wasn't exactly the outgoing type."

The bigger Kurosaki girl frowned. "Is that the way you talk about your son?" she asked. The frown on her lips had disapproving look about it. It irritated him, to have someone judging him.

"I don't see how it's any of your business," he replied curtly.

"Well, he was my brother's friend."

"And that matters?"

Ryuken watched with slight amusement when the girl's hands bunched into tight fists. "Whatever," she snorted. "Come on, Yuzu, Chado. Time to go back." She stalked off, still obviously irritated.

The giant nodded to him and followed her loyally. Her sister, however, hung back for a moment, glancing at him and away nervously.

"Go home, girl," he said to her. "Your reiatsu will attract hollows, and I don't feel like cleaning up after you."

She looked up at him with eyes that held a quiet strength. "I think you should visit him more often," she told him. "I think... he'd like that." She looked away, to his son's grave.

A derisive snort escaped him. "He won't know the difference," he said scornfully. "He's dead, gone on to the Soul Society. I doubt he even knows where his grave is."

Stern eyes gazed steadily into his own. "I think that when someone visits your grave, when they pray for you, you can feel it. No matter where they are. If someone prays for you, you can feel it somehow. The prayer, the feelings, get to you."

He blinked. This girl was really something else. "Your theories are little more than wishful thinking." he said dismissively. "Besides, I highly doubt that my son would care if -"

"He'd care."

The interruption halted his thoughts. For the first time in a long while, he was rendered speechless.

"He would care if you never acknowledged him. No matter what they tell themselves, a child always cares about their parents."

The steely look in her eyes stopped whatever scornful response he'd been about to make. To his even greater shock, there were tiny tears forming in the corners of those eyes. They stood there for a long moment, gazes locked, an older, more powerful man scolded by a young girl with much more wisdom than anyone her age should possess.

After a moment, she broke their gaze and turned back toward her sister and their companion, who were waiting in front of an open senkaimon. "He'd care," she whispered over her shoulder, before she left him standing there, in front of his son's grave.

Ryuken was silent for a minute after, looking down at the name carved in stone without really seeing it. Uncharacteristically transparent, he shook his head to clear it and reached into his jacket for another cigarette.

As he was lighting it, a feminine voice spoke from behind him. "His sisters are as unique as he is, aren't they," she said. He turned around, unstartled, to find a woman with sea-blue hair falling in waves, a red line across her upper cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

"Nelliel," he said, by way of greeting.

"I'm actually surprised you decided to come," she said. Her head tilted to the side, she asked, "What made you do it?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. A puff of smoke left his lips. "Curiosity, perhaps." Realizing something, he asked her a question in return. "How did you know they'd be here?"

The arrancar woman smiled. "I've been watching over them, when they've come to the living world. Itchi's sisters are fascinating."

Ryuken looked at her excitement at the mention of anything to do with Isshin's hotheaded son with disinterest. "So, why did you tell me?" he asked dryly.

"Because you could do to loosen up a little," came her unashamed reply. "Really, Ryuken, you're so rigid."

The last living Quincy huffed and looked away, putting his cigarette up to his lips. His companion followed his gaze, out over the cemetery toward the setting sun, which was turning the sky a million shades of pink and orange.

"I can't help it," he told the woman who should, by all rights, be his mortal enemy. His statement wasn't meant only for her question, but for so many other things as well. "It's just... my nature."

.

_warmthwarmthwarmth_

.

Well then! So, this chapter feels kind of rough and unfinished to me, and I think it doesn't flow too well. I think I might have gone on a little too much about 'love' and stuff this chapter, and I have no idea what I was doing with the last scene, but we'll see how you guys like it.

Also, I have a tendency to get caught up in my writing and use overly sophisticated language, so if anyone is having a problem reading because of that, please let me know. I know several of my readers don't speak English as a first language.

.

(By the way, a lot of these are repeats.)

1. zataku - the traditional low Japanese table, if you don't remember

2. ohayo - good morning

3. otouto - little brother

4. ne - right, often put at the end of statements (Ex: She's silly, right?)

5. tanto - knife. As to how Uryu holds it, think how Kensei holds his.

6. kuso - similar to 'damn'

7. sayonara - farewell

8. risoukyou - one's ideal place

9. itai - ow

10. hinadori - literally, baby bird, but I thought it would be a cute nickname for Masaki to call her

11. okaeri - welcome home or welcome back

12. arigatou - thank you

13. ne - in this case, at the beginning of a sentence, it's more like 'hey' (Ex: Hey, who's that guy?)

14. itoshii - darling

15. omoimono - honey

16. onna - woman

17. hai - yes (formal)

18. fundoshi - traditional Japanese underwear

19. sakura - cherry tree; blooms with pink flowers in the spring, a symbol of Japan

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Review Replies:

**Selrya:** Alright, I will. Byakuya will make an appearance in two chapters, so I hope you'll like it :). I agree, unrequited love is so angsty and great. Thanks!

**Gemini24**: Wow, I guess great minds think alike! *wink* My sister has said that if Kubo-sensei doesn't draw Ichigo with long hair again, she will go over to Japan and .. well, I don't really want to say what she'd do, but rest assured that it's something bad ^^'.As for Orihime's zanpaku-tou, it draws out a person's will to do anything, making them lose the will to fight and their energy to do anything. It also draws out their 'heart', making the things that mattered to them not really matter any more. I forgot Uryu's eyes were blue. Woops. Ichigo is definitely the reason Uryu is getting stronger. His zanpaku-tou's hidden abilities are a bit sadistic as well, and his German heritage is also a part of it. And I hope you like Ryuken in this chapter! The Japanese names, a lot of them I make up by combining words or kanji, and for the ones I don't, I go to random sites online with lists of names. Sorry I can't be more specific ^^'. I love your long reviews, thank you so much!

**faerimagic:** Silly XD. Okay, please keep reading! I hope you like!

**La terrible La: **I think Hueco Mundo definitely affected Orihime a lot. Even in the manga, you can see that she's become more confident and less worried about her enemies, which is shown with her Shiten Koushun. And I agree, Uryu is freakin' awesome ^-^.

**Maverick14th**: I think putting the translations right after techniques is a great idea, thanks for mentioning it. Next chapter, they're going to enter the Academy, so I hope that'll be fun ^-^.

**Reina de la Noche:** Another really long review! Awesome! I also though Ishida should have a long range weapon, but I didn't want it to be a bow, because that would be too obvious, and shinigami don't use bows. But spears are sort of a long range weapon, because he can throw them, so I decided on those. (Plus, I think he would look really cool with a spear ^.^) And Orihime's cheerfulness has always been hiding something darker inside her, even if the cheerfulness is real. Also, how did you guess? I don't have anything about Beijing, but there is someone watching them (revealed in the next few chapters) who is particularly interested in Karin and the former humans. Karin's zanpaku-tou is a constant-release, like her brother's - and her entire family's - and a melee-type. Ishida and Orihime both have kidou-type zanpaku-tou's. I adore Chad, too ^-^. Thank you!


	5. Sensation

I fully admit - I wasn't very focused on this chapter T^T . I was too busy watching Iron Man and Thor and Captain America with my AP Bio class - which consists, of me, my teacher, and another kid - and listening to the idiots (read: boys) who eat lunch (or, well, spend lunchtime) in my Psych teacher's classroom. This was done way later than expected, but still sooner than last time, so that's good ^^'. At last, they're on their way to the Gotei 13!

Now, several things need addressing. First; I changed my username from Yuuritai Sou to Kodokunatsuki, if anyone was wondering. Second, a lot of people were wondering about Orihime's inner world. Yes, Tsuki-chan is her zanpaku-tou spirit (Kodokuna**tsuki**).

As for the other people in her inner world, they were the people who mattered most to her nakama, and those who are not resting peacefully (which is why her brother and Chado's abuelo aren't there). The were recreated from her friends' hearts when she healed them, using her god-like rejection powers. (I'm going to do quite a bit with her powers, and Aizen and the Hogyoku, later on, so consider yourself warned ^-^.)

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_warmthwarmthwarmth_

.

His skin felt strange. Not bad, just different. The surging reservoir of reiatsu he was so accustomed to was cut off from him now, hidden behind a wall somewhere in his soul, only a trickle coming through compared to what he had once had. At his hip, Kurotsuki was no longer in its constant release state, needing a command to let out its power.

It wasn't like he was powerless; he was still significantly above the other new students waiting outside the Academy around him. But it was just so strange. It was like his power was the little amount it had been when he first became a shinigami, when Rukia had stabbed him through the chest; but now that he knew what it was like to be so immensely powerful, it felt strange to be starting from scratch.

By his side, Uryu and Orihime felt strange in his reiatsu-senses too. He couldn't feel any of the reiatsu from the powers they had held as humans. They didn't stand out from the crowd anymore.

That was, of course the point. It hadn't even occurred to him until Orihime brought it up. He hadn't even known that she was developing her Shun-Shun Rikka's powers, enough so that she had created a new type of rejection. Futen Fuushun (1), the power to seal away, was nearly as amazing as Souten Kisshun, the power to reverse.

Now he really felt like Shiba Kei, more so than ever. The people at his side were Shiba Kei's otsuki (2), Hatojiki Akito and Ikari Atsumi. The commanding woman in front of him was his older sister, the head of his household, which, even though it was fallen, had once been one of the most important noble families in all of the Soul Society.

"You have all your stuff?"

"Hai, nee-san," Ichigo sighed.

"All of your books?"

"Hai, nee-san."

"Your dye?"

"Hai, nee-san."

"Do you have enough yukatas? Because I can bring you some if -"

"For the last time, I'm fine, nee-san!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smiles on his companions' faces. His teeth were grinding together in annoyance, and he almost rolled his eyes. Kukaku's concerned face instantly shifted.

"Hunh?" she growled. Her hand came down on top of her head in a way so familiar by now, though the familiarity didn't fend off the pain of his hair being yanked sharply upwards. "What was that, you little brat?" she demanded, eyes narrowed. Their little group was quickly drawing the attention of the other new students. "If this is what I get for worrying about you, then next time I'll just kick you out without a speck of mercy!"

She released him, and his hands instantly went up to his sore scalp. "Kami (3), woman, do you have to abuse me like that?" he complained.

Pink sakura petals drifted through the air, carried by a soft breeze. They littered the ground, crushed underfoot by the dozens of students in white-and-blue or white-and-red uniforms, milling around nervously. Only a few that he could see already had zanpaku-tou. Most looked nervous, unsure of themselves. A few - nobles, most likely - had family with them.

"Hey, fresh meat, listen up!"

It was amazing how much that voice sounded like Kukaku. Ichigo almost jumped. He looked past his sister, to the tall, fierce-looking girl standing in front of the gates to the Academy grounds. Her black hair was a long mane, reaching to her waist, and for a moment, Ichigo failed to recognize her.

Tatsuki was standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, in the white Academy uniform, a katana (4) at her hip. His jaw dropped about a foot. She was grinning at her dumb-stuck audience.

"We're takin' ya all inside now, so if ya have any teary g'byes, hurry up and say 'em!"

"Wow," Uryu said. "She's just like Kukaku-san." He got a cuff on the head for that.

Kukaku looked at them seriously when the Quincy was done muttering complaints under his breath. "All of you, be careful in there," she said. "It's not just us and Rukongai people anymore. There are shinigami who can taste your reiatsu, shinigami who know you, and it might be familiar enough for them to notice. Not to mention that they might recognize you from how you look or act, to don't give anything away."

The trio nodded solemnly. They knew they were taking a risk, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel a flame of excitement in his stomach.

"You." His big sister rounded on him. "Don't you dare go back to that scowl, ya hear me?" Her face was inches away from his, making him lean back in fear. She was the only one who could intimidate him like this. Eagerly, he nodded.

"Good. And practice you kidou more, you suck at it."

Ichigo opened his mouth to protest, but she had already moved on to her second victim. "As for you, skinny, watch over these two airheads for me, will ya?" She jabbed her finger in the direction of the two former redheads. "Make sure they don't do anything stupid."

Uryu smirked. "Of course, Kukaku-san," he said.

Ichigo glared at him. If looks could kill...

A punch in his gut interrupted his attempt to incinerate his smart-ass friend with his eyes. "What did I just say about scowling, ahou (5)?"

"Ah... gomen (6)... nee-sa... n," Ichigo forced out, doubled over. His voice was an octave higher than normal.

His abuser humphed and turned away. "And you, Hime, you be careful. Men are pigs, so beat 'em up if they harass you, got it?"

"Hai, Kukaku-san!" He could hear the grins in their voices. Men might be pigs, but women were demons.

Uryu's thin hand touched his shoulder. "Are you alright, Kei?" he asked quietly. Like most of the time nowadays, there was no condescending tone to his voice. Sometimes, like now, it still surprised him. It felt nice.

He straightened stiffly, still wincing a bit. "Yeah, I'm good," he assured his nakama.

"Okay, newbies, time's up! Get yer buts over here!" Tatsuki's order probably momentarily deafened those standing closest to her. Kukaku wrapped him up in a hug, squeezing the breath out of him with glee.

"Gack! Nee-san! Get off me!" It seemed he was going to be tortured until the very last possible moment.

His sister released him only to drag his two nakama into a suffocating group hug, with him in the middle. He found himself unable to breathe, but somehow, the three pairs of arms wrapped around him made up for it.

"Don't forget, you three are family," Kukaku whispered fiercely. "You will always have a home to come back to." She let them go, all of them blushing.

"Now get outta here! Show those pampered brats who's better, got it?" Her grin was huge, and her eyes were dancing. She moved aside for them.

As they walked toward Tatsuki, he glanced back at her. She was smiling softly at him, and when she saw him look back, she cupped her hand around her mouth. "Make me proud, Kei!" she yelled. Heads turned to the woman, but she was already turning and walking away, back to the Rukongai, back to her home. His home, for the past six years.

Ichigo turned his back to her as well. Now he was making himself a new home, a new place in this world for himself and his two nakama. From now on, he was leaving behind Ichigo Kurosaki. From now on, he was Shiba Kei.

.

The students, let out of the hall where they had listened to the customary introduction speech, crowded around the large white posters fastened to the wall. Kei, as respectful as his sister had made him, was still nodding off from that speech. The bright sun and fresh air woke him from the slight daze he was in, though.

The more easily intimidated moved aside for the Shiba and his two "otsuki". Apparently, being from an important noble family, even if it was fallen, gave one some advantages. Those who moved had the clean, well-groomed, decently dressed look of the lower nobility and people from the lower Rukongai districts. The higher nobles considered themselves too high to move for a fallen family, and those from the further out districts didn't know or didn't care.

The left list held girls' names, in pairs. The right held the boys'. These were the room assignments, but unlike the dozens of students around him, Kei wasn't nervous. Again, being a Shiba had its perks - until recently, he had never known just how many privileges were allowed to the aristocracy.

Because Akito and Atsumi had entered with him as his otsuki, they would be in the same classes as him, and Akito was his roommate. Kukaku had told him about it, informing him that the nobles had refused to participate in the Shinigami Academy when it was first created unless they could do things like that. He was relieved to know that he wouldn't be living and learning with complete strangers, but it didn't make him like the nobles any more than he had when he first fought Byakuya.

Kei craned his neck up to scan the lists. It was Atsumi, though, who found her name first. "Ah!" she said, pointing up to it. "I'm with Kuchiki Eishi... ne, Kuchiki!" She turned around to look at the two of them in surprise.

Akito frowned. "Must be one of the branch families," he mused. "Though they usually don't use the family name as individuals..."

"Did you say Kuchiki?" A pretty girl next to Atsumi looked over at the trio. The once-redheaded girl nodded. The other student bowed to them. "I'm Kuchiki Eishi. Byakuya-dono is my cousin. I guess I'll be sharing a room with you, then?"

She shared a fair amount of Byakuya's - Kuchiki-taichou's - features, and she held herself confidently. Somehow, there was less of the inherent superiority projected by Kuchiki-taichou, and less of the rigid propriety in her voice. She lacked his cool exterior, in favor of something a bit more rough.

A katana poked through her obi (7) as well, like theirs. Obviously, she was fairly strong, or Kei doubted she would've been allowed to enter the Academy as a Kuchiki. Her silky black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. Her features held a certain delicacy, like Kuchiki-taichou's, but Kei knew not to underestimate her based on that. (Byakuya could have passed for a girl, but Ichigo knew first-hand how freaking strong the guy was.)

Her eyes were dark brown, darker than Kei's but not yet black. She stood like him, with her thumbs tucked into her obi. Two white barrette-things held her bangs back on either side of her head. A jointed white ring covered each middle finger from the base all the way up almost to the tip. The pads of the fingers were bare, but Kei couldn't see a bit of her nail, and the ring ended in a sharp point. The white things must have been a symbol of her nobility, like Kuchiki-taichou's kenseikan - as well as being a weapon, apparently.

Kei bowed back to her, and Akito and Atsumi followed his lead. "I'm Shiba Kei," he said. "And this -"

He started to gesture to Atsumi, but was cut off suddenly by a not-so-composed-anymore girl. "Shiba? As in the Fallen House, and Shiba Kaien?"

He blinked in surprise, startled. Kuchiki-taichou would never have interrupted with eager-sounding questions. Apparently, cutting someone off was one of the rudest things you could do in a conversation, according to Kukaku. "Yes, that Shiba," he replied, forcing himself to answer instead of just standing there, blinking.

Eishi's little outburst had drawn attention to their little group. Glancing up briefly, he caught the eye of a fellow student, another of the higher class of nobles. In that brief moment, Kei saw a flash of greed in those eyes, staring at him and Eishi.

Evidently, Akito had seen it too - he always was more observant than Kei - because he leaned around Kei and said, "Perhaps we should move away from here, now that we know our room assignments." He had probably checked what room the two of them were in while Atsumi was looking for hers. They took his suggestion, moving out of the small crowd, everyone moving out of the way now that there was a Kuchiki trying to get through - even those from farthest out in the Rukongai knew real nobility when they saw it.

They chose a quieter corner of the courtyard, under a sakura tree in full bloom. Eishi was barely patient enough to wait until they left the large group to start talking. "I saw that woman pushing you around earlier - was that Shiba Kukaku? Because she looked just insane."

Kei laughed. "Well, you can say that again. And several more times." He paused for a moment. "Although I wouldn't recommend doing so within her earshot. She might skin you." The sad thing was, he wasn't even joking. He shuddered, remembering her rather inventive torture techniques.

"So, are you an actual Shiba? Because I heard there were only two left - Kukaku and her younger brother, Gan-something - ever since Shiba Kaien-fukutaichou (8) died." She inspected him curiously.

"Ah, I'm a distant relative of hers. She adopted me into her family, for which I am very grateful."

He leaned back against the slim trunk of the tree, feeling the rough bark through his uniform. Through the hanging tendrils of the sakura branches, he could see some others occasionally glancing over to them, but no one approached.

Eishi nodded. "I'm not actually a Kuchiki, either, but I'm Byakuya-sama's closest blood relative. Byakuya-sama doesn't have an heir, and Rukia-sama can't inherit because she isn't part of the bloodline, so he chose me to be his heir."

Akito touched Kei's shoulder. "Atsumi-chan and I are going to check out our rooms. We'll let you two talk for a little while." Kei nodded in agreement, but when he looked over, he saw a tightness in his nakama's face, one that hadn't been there for years.

After a moment, seeing Akito step away with the cheerful girl, he pushed away the slight worry he felt. It was probably nothing - Akito hated situations he couldn't control. Maybe it was even Uryu's loathing of all things shinigami. He turned back to Eishi without thinking any more of it, for now at least. They were sharing a room - if there was something wrong, Kei could wrest it out of his stubborn friend later, when they were alone.

"Those two seem close to you," Eishi remarked. "More close than most commoners would be to nobles, even if they were otsuki."

"I would die for them," he informed her. He caught her surprised look, and told himself that he hoped he never got so used to being considered above everybody else by those around him that he started to believe it himself. "I told you; I wasn't born noble, and even when nee-san took me in, we lived mostly like Rukongai citizens. It isn't like they're sworn to me or anything silly like that. They're my friends, that's all. We're there for each other." He said it all simply, like something that had always been his truth and would always be his truth.

And it would always be the truth. He would make sure of that.

.

Eishi was nice to talk to, especially considering that he had barely talked to any strangers for the past six years. It was kind of jolting, though, to see someone who looked so much like Byakuya interacting with him in a friendly way. Some of it, he thought, had to do with the fact that he was a Shiba - he was a member of one of the very few other Great Houses, and from what he could gather, Eishi admired Shiba Kaien a lot.

He had to remind himself that even though she looked maybe twenty, she had been alive for fifty years - she'd mentioned it in passing. It was a bit of a culture shock. Sure, he'd known Rukia was, like sixty or something, maybe even older (he was pretty sure her claim when she'd first met him that she'd lived ten of his lifetimes was an exaggeration, because that would make her older than Byakuya), but it had never really sunk into his mind. But now, he realized that even to the new students here, who looked mostly as if they were in their late teens to early twenties, he was almost a child. He was, what, twenty-four? Half their age, at least. And yet, more powerful than nearly all of them, even with the majority of his powers sealed away.

It made him realize why the shinigami viewed him as something to keep an eye on, more so than he had known while alive.

.

Ieyoshi Kenji knew what he liked when he saw it. And at the moment, he was feasting his eyes on a busty girl standing away from the crowd of people waiting to enter the dining hall. Food could wait for now.

He strolled through the crowd with all of the self-assurance of a high noble. A handsome one, too - he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was the best-looking guy here, but he wasn't anywhere near as ugly as some of these people.

She really was pretty. Hopefully, he was the first person to talk to her. She wore her long black hair in a braid that even draped over her shoulder reached her hips, and stood with her hands clasped in front of her, swaying slightly from side to side and looking around.

A thin guy stood next to her, his hair brushing his shoulders and his bangs falling over one of his eyes. Ieyoshi took one look at him and decided that he couldn't possibly be the girl's lover. He looked too... wimpy. Feminine.

He stopped in front of the girl. "Aisatsu (9), onee-san (10). I am Kenji, second son of the Ieyoshi family."

Her lips curved into a smile. "Aisatsu, Ieyoshi-san. I am Ikari Atsumi, from Aogoke (11), the eleventh district of the west Rukon. Yoroshiku." She bowed politely.

The thin boy next to her stared him down. It made him uncomfortable, something unpleasant crawling under his skin. Ieyoshi eyed the katana at the guy's waist warily. It was forbidden to wear a sword that was not a zanpaku-tou inside the Academy walls, and he felt the empty space at his side acutely. This skinny guy had a zanpaku-tou already, and that was an accomplishment that Ieyoshi hadn't achieved just yet.

He dismissed it, though, shaking off the strange feeling. "Any aspiring shinigami does well with a noble benefactor, particularly a girl from Rukongai. I'm sure I could put in a favorable word to my parents for you." Every word of it was true; and no one ever refused the chance to be supported by a noble family.

Ikari frowned, and Iyoshi decided that the little crinkle between her eyebrows was adorable. "I'm honored, Iyoshi-san, but why would you make this generous offer to me?"

Ieyoshi smiled. "You are obviously fairly talented, if you already have a zanpaku-tou of your own. And I have a feeling that you would be well worth it." She really was beautiful, and she looked so sweet and innocent. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a few glares, and internally, he smirked. They should have moved faster, if they wanted her for themselves.

Ikari blushed. "Ah - I'm honored, Ieyoshi-san. Arigatou gozaimasu (12). But -"

The thin man at her side stepped forward. "We have a benefactor already," he said. "She has no need of one whose only reasons for offering are those of simple, carnal men. She has encountered enough of your type before, at home. This is meant to be a place of learning, not pleasure." His electric blue eyes held contempt.

Ikari's pretty brown eyes widened. "Akira-kun!" she said.

Ieyoshi turned indignantly to the interruption. "And who are you?" he demanded, glaring at the man. How dare he put a son of the house of Ieyoshi on the level of the scum of the Rukon!

"I am Hatojiki Akito, of Aogoke."

It was infuriating, how a Rukon dog could carry himself with the haughty air of the noble houses even higher than his own.

"Well, Hatojiki, you should learn your place. A Rukon stray is far below a high noble son." The noble sneered down at the thin man, striding forward until they were less than a foot apart. Ieyoshi was large, and that added to his nobility meant that most backed down quickly, intimidated.

Not this runt, though. Hatojiki didn't even bother to look at him, but spoke off to the side, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "Please remove yourself from my personal space. Your breath is making me sick."

A vein throbbed in Ieyoshi's temple. He reached out and roughly grabbed hold of the front of Hatojiki's white shihakushou. "What did you say, iyashii (13)?" he growled. As it always did, his temper was overriding his noble dignity.

The man's cold eyes turned toward him. "So this is how a son of the noble Ieyoshi family acts - like a crude brawler from the outermost districts of Rukongai." The noble's teeth ground as he listened to the words Hatojiki spoke, dripping with condescension. Next to them, Ikari was backing away, looking between them nervously. "I am less than impressed with the state of the Seireitei's nobility, if you are at all an example. Not that I expected much better, of course - you failed the entrance exam, what, five times? Still, I would rather be a simpleton than an oaf."

Ieyoshi saw red. He released Hatojiki to bring back his fist, ready to pound the kid into oblivion. Before he could, though, a muscled and tanned arm entered his vision, reaching across Hatojiki's chest. The design etched into the smooth skin on the inside of the arm gave him pause - the solid black falling wave was the insignia of the Shiba family, the Fallen House.

"Enough," the Shiba said. He had wild black hair, almost as long as Ikari's. His face was like stone.

Now Ieyoshi knew how those who tried to confront him felt. This Shiba was smaller than him, more lithe than heavily muscled, but it was as if he could see the power in those arms. And the knowledge that this was a member of one of the Great Families, no matter that they had no influence over the running of the Seireitei any longer, cowed him.

"Just who are you?" Shiba asked.

"Ieyoshi Kenji," he said back, making his voice bold to compensate for the intimidation he felt.

"Well, Ieyoshi, that's my otsuki you're about to get into a fight with."

He could almost feel his blood going cold. Just as quickly, though, it ran hot again. This brat had no real power. Ieyoshi knew how to play games of politics and favoritism. Shiba was nothing to be afraid of, not anymore, and it hadn't been for more than a hundred and fifty years. This boy, who couldn't be more than forty years old, had no right to regard himself as superior to Ieyoshi. He had no right to otsuki - two of them, because Ikari must be his as well, if Hatojiki was.

"A fallen family doesn't deserve the privileges of real nobility. Your blood is spoiled by treason - you shouldn't even exist. None of your family should!" he spat out, darkly satisfied when he saw Shiba's face go cold.

He lunged forward, his fist tightening just as it was about to connect with the brat's face - and then he was flying through the air. The breath was forced out of his body before he even registered hitting the ground. He gasped, trying to draw in oxygen, unable to breathe. He stared into a bright blue sky, unable to hear over the ringing in his ears.

Shiba's face, stone once again, entered his vision, framed by his long black hair hanging down towards Ieyoshi. He extended a hand to the noble on the ground, but Ieyoshi brushed it aside, infuriated. He pushed himself up, finally remembering how to breathe. Unsteadily, he stood, facing Shiba, and raised his fist again.

Quicker than he could follow, Shiba grabbed it and twisted it around behind him. The brat's voice sounded directly into his ear from behind. "Stop, before I break your arm. My sister - that fallen noble you were insulting - taught me that nobles were supposed to conduct themselves with dignity and set an example. You are the one who doesn't deserve to be a noble."

Ieyoshi snarled. "Shut up, you bastard! I -"

Hatojiki walked around to face him. "I doubt you will be of much use to your family at all. But at least you could try not to dishonor them even more by being thrown out of the Academy on the very day you finally got in."

After a moment of trying to match the electric blue stare, he tch'ed and turned his head away. Shiba loosened his grip, and he shook the smaller male off. Angrily, he strode away, into the dining hall. He glanced back as he entered, to see Ikari smile up at the two males, and their soft expressions as they looked down at her, and he scoffed. They wouldn't last a minute if they didn't learn how things were done in the Seireitei.

.

He is lost in darkness. He can't move a muscle under the black cloth bindings. He can see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. There is no sense of time passing, and no way to tell if he is awake or asleep.

Hallucinations had plagued him sometimes in the beginning, but they had been nothing but indistinct whispers. Even those have faded away after some untellable amount of time.

By now, not that there was really any such thing as "now", he has forgotten what seeing and hearing and feeling were. The idea of moving or talking is incomprehensible to him. His mind floats free from the confines of his body, adrift in a sea of black.

Even the voice of his soul is lost to him. He has not felt her there inside him for eons. Memories are dissolved into a mass of phantom sensations, more ideas of things than captured moments in time.

There is no deception here. The only thing that exists is him, and he cannot conceal himself behind facades. Thoughts come and go without direction from him, and ideas form and dissolve at their own will. He isn't dwelling on anger, he isn't counting seconds - he doesn't even know what a second is, anymore. This place outside of time, without anything to distract him, or anything else to occupy his attention, is an opportunity to think without the limitations of reality.

But even in this universe of thought, one emotion stays with him, one that has been there since his earliest beginnings. Loneliness is his ever-present companion, a different kind of darkness that has festered in his heart for time eternal.

Then something changes. Something new enters his intangible world of ideas. Somehow, he is experiencing something again, something real. It is so strange, so... unrecognizable.

Something, some nearly lost sense, told him that it was pain he was feeling. He knew that it was supposed to be bad, something he wanted to stop, but it was so alien to him that it didn't really matter what it was; all that really mattered was that it existed outside of his mind.

It drew his mind and his body together, slowly, gradually. He became aware of the shape of his body, his legs and arms, pressed tight to the chair he sat in, was bound to. Ironic, that it most closely resembled a throne.

The sensation called pain was right over his heart. His rusty senses told him that it was the tip of a knife, just piercing the skin. He didn't know how it had gotten through his bindings, but somehow, he was grateful for it. He wasn't alone; there was something besides him.

A whisper entered his mind, almost like the hallucinations from before, but the words were clear.

_Hello, traitor._

He didn't even mind the insult. It had been so long since he had heard anything, in his mind or not, and a feeling of relief washed over him. He greeted the voice in the only way he could - with a wave of welcoming feeling, and the idea of a question. He couldn't form words.

_So, this is what captivity has done to you. Interesting._

His questioning grew stronger.

_I am your enemy, young one._

Fear, another feeling he hadn't felt in so long, creeped into his mind.

_Don't be afraid. I'm not here to harm you - not today._

Today - another alien concept.

_I came to check on you. I wondered if you had changed at all. It appears that you have, though I don't know exactly how. Your mind is a jumbled mess of thoughts and ideas, all abstract and blended together. It's a wonder you can understand me at all._

Amusement drifted through his mind.

_I also came to take a look at that thing inside of you. The Hogyoku. It seems that during you time as nothing but a collection of thoughts has bound it to you closer than ever._

It was confusion which he felt now. The Hogyoku had rejected him already, bound his powers, rid him of a part of his soul.

_It seems that even the ones who created it do not know much about it. We call it the God-Heart._

Curiosity travelled through his mind. "We" - so this person, whoever it was, was not alone. And he had never heard of such a thing as a God-Heart.

_It's time for me to leave now, young one._

Panic was his immediate response. The sensation of pain vanished from his chest, and the feeling of joining minds faded. He didn't want to be alone again - he didn't want to lose himself in his mind, no matter how many possibilities it presented to him.

_Would you look at that. The traitor is scared of the dark._

He struggled with the limitations of his abstract state of mind. He had questions for this stranger, and more than that, he wanted someone to communicate with.

_Oh, things will change soon enough. Then, you might long for the solitude and serenity of your mind._

He grasped at the fading presence.

_I'll see you around._

Amusement infused the voice's last whisper.

_Aizen-sama._

.

_warmthwarmthwarmth_

.

So, how'd it go? I'm starting to put in a little bit of the plot, but I don't think Aizen's visit was handled very well ^^'.

So, I've got a lot of ideas, but no idea how to write about them. Ah, I'll figure it out as I go along.

Eishi is my version of black. 's Eiji. I like Eiji, but I made Eishi a bit different than him. I'm not sure how much of her I'm going to include; I'll leave that up to you guys. We finally said goodbye for a while to Kukaku, and that's a little sad for me. I love writing her.

As always, tell me what you think. I didn't really like this chapter. A part of it, I think, was that I didn't get much opportunity to work on it. It's amazing how much homework teachers can cram in in the last couple weeks of school. But now that school's done, I'll have more long stretches of computer time to get large chunks of the chapters done at once, which will make it flow better, I think.

Next chapter will be interesting. Rukia will be making another appearance, as well as Keigo, and we'll learn more about the history of the Soul Society.

**Important:**

I have one question, which won't be relevant for a while. There's a series of a few filler episodes during the beginning of the Hueco Mundo arc in the anime, where Ichigo and company fall into the Forest of Menos. For once, I actually like these fillers. I would like to add Ashido, the character from those episodes, into this story, when the plot really picks up, but I'd like to know how you guys feel about that.

Also, should I continue to refer to Ichigo, Orihime, and Uryu as their new names, or should I go back to their actual names?

.

1. Futen Fuushun - Two-Heaven Sealing Shield  
2. ostuki - retainers, basically loyal attendants  
3. kami - god  
4. katana - sword  
5. ahou - fool  
6. gomen - sorry  
7. obi - belt  
8. fukutaichou - lieutenant or assistant captain  
9. aisatsu - a greeting  
10. onee-san - literally, sister, but it is commonly used to refer to a young woman  
11. aogoke - green moss  
12. arigatou gozaimasu - thank you very much  
13. iyashii - lowly person

.

Review Replies:

**La terrible La:** Yeah, I'm starting to put together the real plot now. Thank you; I adore Ishida as well!

**Maverick14th:** I love the relationship between Ichi, Orihime, and Ishida. It's so deep and profound. And here's the first idiot who tries to get close to our Hime ^.^ . As for Karin, yeah, she has streaks of orange in her hair. She didn't dye it, though - her zanpaku-tou's spirit is a tiger, and its reiatsu affected her appearance, like Renji's gave him the tattoos. Please keep reading, I promise I will try my best to improve as much as I can!

**KaKashiisWifey:** Yay, a new reviewer! Thank you! I hope you keep reading!

**KurosakiCrystal18:** Thank you so much! Please come back!

**Gemini24:** As always, a huge review! Wow! I know, this chapter and last chapter aren't my best, unfortunately. I think Uryu is very possessive, because there is so little that was constant in his life. He lived with himself by holding on to his identity as a Quincy, but he doesn't have that anymore, so his identity centers around his two nakama now, and if he loses him he really has nothing. His hidden abilities are a little cruel, but not like Orihime's, so they don't really worry Ichigo. As for Orihime, she doesn't control people, she just removes their desire to do anything or feel anything. Their human powers weren't tied to their bodies, they just could be used while they were in them because they weren't shinigami powers. They were still tied to their souls. Kurotsuchi experimented on Quincy after they died, so I assume that they still had their powers. I love Ryuken ^-^. The twins look like they're about 13, I think. They look a little older than they do right now in the manga. Ichigo's reiatsu changed during his training with Kukaku, like his zanpaku-tou did, and it has changed even more now that it's sealed with Orihime's you! I love your reviews!

**Serisa Black:** Thanks so much. I love your glowing praise ^-^!

**Reina de la Noche:** Yeah, sorry for takking so long ^^'. I hope the explanation at the beginning of the chapter has answered all of your questions about Orihime's inner world. And the little voice in her head is the part of her that is still under Aizen's influence - she did mean it, I believe, when she told Ulquiorra that her existence was for Aizen, because at that moment she was a part of Aizen's army. Isshin's zanpaku-tou is much like Ichigo's, he says so himself, so I think that it's constant-release, too. We don't know much about his shinigami identity, anyway so... even if it isn't constant-release, I'm claiming creative lisence ^^'. And as Aizen will be in the plot, his influence on Orihime will be a part of it too. Thank you very much for your faithful reviewing! I will always try to be the best ^-^!


	6. Spellbound

I know it's been a while. Believe me, I know.

I hit a rough patch. The end of school always has me 'mourning', as my mom puts it, and I was extremely stressed out over my finals. After they were done, I had a complete nervous breakdown. It didn't help that I hadn't taken my anti-depressants for two days. It took me a while to recover from that. Also, a friend of my sister's recently died. She was thirteen.

This might seem a little rough, but I wanted to get it out before I left for our annual Fourth of July camping trip. Right after I get back, I'll be starting a summer job at my city's police horse farm (you know, where they keep the giganto horses police officers ride).

Have no fear, though! One of my problems was that I wasn't _exactly_ sure where I was going. But while I was moping around the house, I wrote a big ol' outline of this story. *sniffle* I'm so proud of myself for actually planning something out for once!

Anyway, here's your story!

.

**_warmthwarmthwarmth_**

.

Akito doesn't like kidou.

Well, no, that isn't what he really means. He doesn't like the way shinigami use kidou. It is all structured, named and numbered, closed in and limited by its exactness. There is no complexity, no art to it.

Kukaku-san had taught him the hadou and bakudo, how to chain spells and adjust their power. But she had also taught him the history behind them, the fundamentals of kidou that are now overlooked in favor of convenience, rather than understanding.

Kidou is about intention. Someone can't just call the name of the spell - you have to really know in your mind what you want it to do, and you have to command the power to take the shape you want. Chants and incantations are just to provide a cookie-cutter form for that power.

Healing kidou is the closest thing to that raw form of kidou. But even that is structured, confined to a certain form.

Akito wants to create art.

Glowing silver threads slide through his nimble fingers as he weaves them together in midair. They aren't just strands of light - they are protection in its rawest form, trapped in one shape to form another. It takes all of his _Villen_, his will, as she puts it, to keep it contained like this, to keep it pure like this. He has tried this hundreds of times before, but it has never been completed.

Once again, the intricate pattern of knots and overlapping strands begins to dissolve together, melting into his skin. He can't keep it separate from him while concentrating on weaving.

The glow fades, leaving the empty training grounds almost pitch-black. Akito sighs, dropping to the ground and sitting with his legs slightly bent in front of him, arms loosely around his knees. There is no moon in the sky, leaving the stars to fill the sky with little dots of brilliance.

"_Müde? (1)"_

He looks up, over his shoulder, to see her, standing there in that white robe like some kind of ghost. She prefers to speak in German. There is something about that language that calls to him, something about the harshness of it. But he is more comfortable with the familiar Japanese, and she doesn't object when he replies, "No."

"Then why not continue?"

He thinks for a moment, staying silent. "I'm not sure," he says to her. "I suppose I wanted a bit of that feeling I had when it was just the three of us. The calm before the storm."

She smiles at him, and steps up beside him, though she doesn't sit next to him in the wet grass. She doesn't reply, leaning back her head so that the hold fell off her head and her white-blonde hair spilled out. Her pale eyes stared straight up at the constellations. He followed her lead, stretching out his arms behind him to hold him up as he leans back.

He isn't sure how long they stay like that, quiet, eyes wandering the stars. It's long enough to see the sky turn, long enough for a clear sky to be covered with clouds.

"There is someone there," she says, and when he looks at her, she vanishes, her form melting into smoke which curls up and quickly fades away.

.

"Tenshiyari."

The German zanpaku-tou girl felt that unfamiliar and unwelcome tug on her being, coaxing her away from her serene world and. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to enter the Dochitsukazu (2), the world of the zanpaku-tou.

She didn't like the others. They were so much older than her, and so different in nature. They were wielded by those who had slaughtered her people, regardless of how justified they thought they were in doing so. She belonged in a different kind of world.

Besides, most of them were rather annoying. They behaved as if she were beneath them, simply because of who her wielders were. And while it was true she was an anomaly, created purely by chance and something that didn't really belong anywhere, her people were the truly superior beings.

No hollow could even think of becoming a Vasto Lorde without consuming a Quincy. There were other factors too, of course, but that was one that she could be morbidly proud of. Quincy were something special, something that the shinigami had go right to control. Only the burdens of their souls prevented her people from...

But she couldn't think of that. Not while that abomination still reigned. She had to be content with her makeshift existence, unable to rid herself of this shinigami's form.

"I have told you, I will not be referred to by that falsehood of a name."

She glared at the white-colored kitsune (3) spirit. Sode no Shirayuki was one of the few that associated with her, continually dragging her into the Dochitsukazu, this smoky, indistinct world. At least the female was bearable - most of the time.

Her silvery eyes narrowed. "Fine, Engel Lanze. Be that way." The kitsune was practically pouting now. "But you do yourself no favors by reminding others just how different you are."

"I am well aware of that," Engel snapped, having little patience for the regard of her supposed peers. Inwardly, underneath layers of icy composure, she seethed. She hated this form that she had been subjugated to.

She let out a breath. Shirayuki was right - it did her no good to antagonize these spirits, not now. Still, she preferred her true name, from her native language. Her eyes closed, and in a calmer voice, she asked, "What did you want with me?"

"I was just curious," the kitsune said, one hand bent in front of her mouth like a paw. "It's been centuries since you were called out by a wielder. How is it, to be out in the world again?"

Engel sighed. While this could be a mundane conversation to satisfy her curiosity, somehow Engel doubted it. Her pale lips pressed together in a thin line, the corners of her mouth tight. Shirayuki had always been unusually accepting of outsiders - a trait her wielders always seemed to possess as well.

It couldn't hurt to acquiesce to the one zanpaku-tou who had always stood by her. "He is promising. I am proud of his progress."

Shirayuki sighed. "Ironic, isn't it? Your very existence is a contradiction. You are the symbol of the very thing that your people so hate."

Inside her tattered white robe, Engel's fists clenched. The kitsune was right, and yet she hadn't said it to be malicious - but that only made it worse. Being reduced to this - a tool for shinigami, used only by those few of her people who turned their back on their core beliefs. At least this one's reason was not a lust for power, whose attempts to call her out she had always rejected, or a true belief that their people's way of life was wrong, whose requests she had reluctantly complied with.

His desire was that of her first wielder's, her creator's - a devotion that surpassed the beliefs he had been raised with. Even if that wielder himself was oblivious to just how deep that devotion ran.

"Well, I'm sure you, of all zanpaku-tou, can appreciate that particular irony. That abomination is still out there, isn't it?"

Contrary to her expectations, Shirayuki grinned, rather than becoming angry. "Ah, her. She was simply extraordinary. It's a shame she cast me aside."

Engel scoffed. "She abandoned everything, of her own free will, to become that... thing. That _monster_. She allowed herself to be seduced by a raw, primitive, broken world. She abandoned her humanity."

"Well, technically, she wasn't even human in the first place, seeing as she was born into one of the greatest noble families of the Soul Society.

If the German girl could have stomped her feet and screamed in frustration without looking foolish and childish, she would have. Instead, she settled for leveling a withering glare at the kitsune that made those white fox ears go flat against her head and her tail hang down between her legs. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Shirayuki whined. It was rewarding to see the beautiful spirit cowering, but Engel let up. She didn't really despise this zanpaku-tou, and certainly not as much as she did many of the others. "Besides," Shirayuki continued, cautiously straightening. "I'm practically the only one on you side at the moment, apart from little Tsuki-chan and Zangetsu - or, well, Kurotsuki for now."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that."

Emerging from the grey smoke was another zanpaku-tou - one that Engel was infinitely more wary of.

Clearly, Shirayuki felt the same way, as her ears were flat again, and her lips were drawn back to reveal her razor-sharp canines.

The new arrival laughed. "No need to be so tense," he assured. His dark skin had a sheen to it, and if one looked closely, they could see a snake scale pattern drawn on it. His face was beautiful, but in a sharp, angular way that spoke of danger. His scalp appeared to have a multitude of thin black dreadlocks hanging from it, but Engel knew that if stirred, they would reveal themselves to be a hissing, writhing mass of snakes. They shimmered a pale gold, but that paled in comparison to the spirit's molten eyes.

"Shinso," Engel greeted stiffly. Those snakes held a poison that was something even a zanpaku-tou should fear. And if they looked you in the eyes, they petrified you with terror - only for a moment, but for someone as quick as Shinso, even that moment was enough.

He looked at her. "Now, now, don't be so stiff. I have no intention of laying a hand on you - I am well aware of what would happen if I did, and I would rather avoid any unnecessary pain. Not to mention that even without that particular deterrent, I doubt the thought of harming you is ever one I would seriously entertain. It would be a shame to make you my enemy, particularly considering how uniquely interesting you are."

Coming from him, she wasn't sure it could be considered a compliment. In fact, it made her all the more wary. If Shinso was taking an interest in her...

The fur on the outsides of Shirayuki's arms was standing on end, and her throat was emitting a low growl. Her slender fingers were curved into claws. She and Shinso had an odd relationship - she feared him more than any other zanpaku-tou, but she didn't hate him. And he seemed to enjoy her company. They knew each other a lot better than many of the zanpaku-tou.

"What are you really here for?" the kitsune snarled, her silver eyes fixed on his gold ones. Despite their obvious differences, Engel could see something similar about the two. Neither was ever crass or blunt. Shirayuki might be more audacious, but they both had a certain way of holding themselves that inspired a sort of awe and fear, and both were undoubtedly aristocratic.

Shirayuki only ever lost her composure around a select few zanpaku-tou - the most notable of which was Shinso.

"I was just curious, that's all. The others are so boring." He sniffed, as if he was offended by the dullness of his peers. He liked to pretend he did things only to amuse himself.

Perhaps it wasn't such a ridiculous idea that he could be her ally. He had no loyalties to anyone but himself and his wielder - no loyalties even to that thing that ruled the shinigami. He was the type to do something just to see what would happen.

"Things are getting so interesting in the worlds lately, aren't they?" Shinso mused, smiling. It wasn't quite a grin, but his eyes held a spark of something more dangerous. Engel was just thankful it wasn't directed at her.

Shirayuki was calming down. Her fur was flat again, though her tail still twitched nervously. "No one would know that better than you," she said, crossing her arms.

His smile widened. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

Silence reigned for a moment, the smoke cutting them off from anything else. It seemed somewhat tense, and a little hard to breathe.

That tight, heavy atmosphere was broken by a girl in colorful furisode (4) bursting into their little space. "Shinsou-sama!" she exclaimed, stopping in front of him. "Come quick! She's stirring!"

His eyes widened in true surprise. He beckoned to the other two zanpaku-tou, and let the girl lead the way. Distance was irrelevant in the Dochitsukazu, so they took only a few steps through the thick grey smoke before leaving it again for another clear space.

This one was larger, and in the center was a glass cylinder. A zanpaku-tou spirit hung suspended inside. He was beautiful, and could have passed for a girl. He was insubstantial, a figure made of mist that reflected light to appear as a solid person. His yukata was made of clouds, and his obi of dew. And he was supposed to be in a deep, deep sleep.

But his eyes were open, and they were two stars that shone pale white.

The colorful girl ran forward and placed her hands on the glass. Her furisode bled with reds and yellows and oranges, and the colors seemed to rush forward, towards the imprisoned zanpaku-tou.

"Kyoka-sama!" she cried.

Shinso stepped forward. "Kyoka Suigetsu. Shouldn't you be resting?"

The spirit inside the glass cage didn't seem to hear either of them. He just looked around, blinking. One of his pale hands reached out to press against the glass, moving up, down, and to the sides. After a moment, his arm dropped again to his side. Shinso frowned, joining Tobiume.

Engel and Shirayuki stayed back, preferring to keep their distance. Kyoka and Shinso were some of the very oldest zanpaku-tou, born when shinigami were still discovering this aspect of their powers.

But their status paled in comparison to the two zanpaku-tou who approached now. The two dragons had taken human forms for now, but their presence was still overwhelming. The zanpaku-tou knelt before the eldest two of their kind, letting them make their way up to the glass cylinder.

With her eyes fixed on the space below her - it couldn't really be called the ground - she couldn't see what went on. But she could hear the booming shock of Ryujin Jakka's voice. "Shinso. Do you know anything about this?"

"I don't, actually. All I can tell is that he can't see or hear anything going on outside of the glass cylinder."

Engel glanced up, seeing the fire-dragon put its hand through the glass. The spirit inside flinched back, putting his arms defensively to shield himself from the heat. Around him, stray threads appeared, red ones, the spirit threads of a zanpaku-tou. Ryujin Jakka caught a few of them. When he tried to draw them out, they stopped at the glass, just as they should have.

"Nothing about the barrier is tainted," the fire zanpaku-tou announced. "Kyoka Suigetsu has not regained access to any of his power. Everything is as it should be."

"So then, why is he awake?" its companion asked. Hyorinmaru was almost as awe-inspiring as Ryujin Jakka. His voice was overwhelming as well, and it somehow managed to carry the impression of a chilling winter gale.

Shinso looked up at the two elders. "If I may?" he interjected. When Hyorinmaru consented, he continued, "Perhaps the Hogyoku has something to do with this? After all, we really don't know what it's capable of, and its powers are certainly extraordinary."

Ryujin Jakka studied Shinso closely. "Yes, it is possible. Of course you would be the one to think of it."

Even from a few meters away, Engel could see the tenseness in Shinso's expression from Ryujin Jakka's comment. The zanpaku-tou still treated him as a traitor, even a decade after he was proved not to be. Even though it was his wielder who had betrayed them.

Hyorinmaru growled. "That abomination should be destroyed. It does not belong in the world. It has corrupted the way of things."

Engel barred her teeth, though she knelt still. She knew that statement referred to her as well - and all of those touched by the Hogyoku. Those people were precious to her wielder and his nakama, and she would not let the Reiou (5), the being that ruled them and the one whose thoughts the two Elders were voicing, destroy them. And she would do whatever it took, with whoever it took, to ensure it.

As the dragon zanpaku-tou turned and left, she met Shinso's golden eyes through the crowd.

.

Akito felt the comforting reiatsu approaching long before he heard the swishing of grass beneath feet. Kei walked up to him quietly, from behind.

"Are you even still awake?" his familiar, low voice asked. To Akito, who was only half-conscious, Kei's voice was muffled, soothing. He hummed noncommittally in reply, too tired to make words come out of his mouth, too tired to force the air out of his lungs.

"Obviously not," his nakama said, crouching down next to him on the balls of his feet. "What're you even doing out here so late?" he asked.

Akito let his head fall to the side to look at Kei. After three years of training as shinigami students, Kei looked older. He was twenty-five, and though he didn't look that old, he looked much older than fifteen. He was taller, his face more mature. And his waist-length black hair made him look much different from the fiery, impulsive redhead he had once been.

It trailed freely over his shoulders at the moment, free because it was night. Akito lifted a few strands in his fingers, feeling how smooth it was. According to several of the instructors, it was the only thing that kept them from having a heart attack every time Kei entered the room because they thought it was Shiba Kaien, back from the dead.

Kei glanced at the hand that was playing with his hair. "Wow," he said, "you must really be out of it." He chuckled softly, before he lifted himself up, stretching with his arms over his head for a moment.

Akito took the hand that was offered to him a moment later. It took effort to stand up, as his body felt heavy with tiredness. He stumbled against Kei; it seemed that attempting that particular form of kidou so many times in one night had taken more out of him than he had thought.

"Why're you out'ere?" he mumbled, slurring slightly from his sleepiness.

"Ah, I woke up a little while ago and saw you were gone," Kei said, putting an arm around him to hold him up. "I felt your reiatsu out here and thought I'd take a look. Good thing, too."

Akito's mouth quirked in a tiny grin. "Yah, you've got'n a whole lot better a' that," he said.

He could practically feel Kei flush slightly. "Oh, shut it," his friend muttered. "Or I'll drop you."

By the time they were at the edge of the field, Akito felt as if he couldn't move another step. He yawned, opening his jaw so wide he thought it would break. He was leaning heavily on Kei, ready to slide to the ground and fall asleep.

Kei sighed. "You're never gonna make it to the room," he stated. Before Akito could even comprehend what he'd said, his feet were literally swept out from underneath him, and he was suspended three feet off the ground.

"Hey..." he slurred, the only protest he could muster up. Kei was surprisingly comfortable... and warm. Too comfortable to really be annoyed.

"Don't tell anyone about this, got it?" his nakama said. Akito felt Kei begin to move, jostling him slightly. His eyes slid closed, only nighttime sounds penetrating his haze of tiredness. He couldn't have said how much time it took for Kei to carry him inside, then to their room. All he knew that he was blissful when he was lowered onto his soft futon and a warm blanket was pulled over him.

The last words he heard before falling into his dreams were, "Good night, baka."

.

Keigo leapt away from his opponent, calling the kunai back to him. It he got too close, she would destroy him. Eighteen kunai laid in sheaths on his arms and legs - he held the other two in his hands.

"Coward! Come down here and fight like a man!" Tatsuki bellowed, shaking her fist at him. Leather-like armor covered her hands and forearms, and wickedly pointed steel spikes fit on top of her knuckles. Her shins and feet were covered in the same material, again with spikes fastened over the knuckles of her toes.

"Eh-heh, I don't think so!" he called down. He pulled two more of his knives out of their sheaths, holding them between his fingers. He threw one pair with small movements, and they flew through the air almost too fast to see. He didn't really want to kill her, after all.

She held an arm up to block them. One made it past, slicing her shoulder, but the other was stopped by the armor on her forearm. The other pair followed soon after.

Tatsuki scowled, annoyed. She turned her body so that the knifes flew across her chest, milimeters away from her shihakusho. "Why, you..." she growled. Quickly, she stooped down and picked up the knives, tossing them back at Keigo.

She wasn't very good. It was easy to catch them out of the air. But the moment of distraction had been enough for her to shun-po up next to him, and he had to duck quickly to avoid the roundhouse heading for his temple.

"Hey, that coulda really hurt me," he complained, continuing to dodge the barrage of punches and kicks she sent at him.

"Oh, stop whining," she said, her fist barreling forward to sink into his stomach.

"Gah!"

Her spikes had drawn blood, and the impact had knothe wind out of him. He was thrown back, landing on the dirt below them with a thud. In retaliation, he sent another pair of kunai at her, one right behind the other. She knocked aside the first, but the second landed in her shoulder.

The curses that flew out of her mouth were spectacular.

The laughter from the sidelines alerted them to their audience. "Hey, Arisawa, you sleepin' or somethin'?" Ikkaku shouted, cackling when she gave him a very rude gesture.

Yuzu rushed over to Keigo, her hands already glowing with the light of healing kidou. "Mo!" she grumbled. "You don't have to beat each other up like this. You always make more work for me."

He sighed at the cool sensation of the kidou. "Sankyu~, Yuzu-chan," he said, laying his head back and closing his eyes. It didn't hurt that much - Tatsuki hadn't been really trying - and besides, it was no good to train if no one actually tried to fight.

"Whatever, Asano-kun," she answered, though there was a smile in her voice this time. A moment later, her hands moved away. "Done!"she said, sounding satisfied.

Keigo sat up, watching the people around him. While Yuzu healed Tatsuki, the ferocious woman was mercilessly teased by Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Chizuru. They'd all found it strange, at first, when Chizuru went into Eleventh, but she fit right in with Yumichika. Rangiku also quickly jumped in the mix, stirring up things even more. Tatsuki was gonna go berserk soon if someone didn't calm her down.

Hisagi offered a hand to him. He took it, and was pulled to his feet. Right behind the lieutenant was Karin, and shadowing her, as always, was Chado. "You alright?" he asked once he had steadied Keigo.

"Ah, I'm fine. Yuzu-chan is a genius," he said, brushing himself off. "Kaihou (6)!" he ordered, and his kunai and their sheaths turned back into a katana, which he slid into the sheath at his waist.

"Damn right she is," Karin muttered.

Hisagi laughed. "And god forbid any of her adoring fans so much as looks at her with you around." He clapped a hand on his scowling third seat's shoulder.

She looked so much like Ichigo with that expression. It made Keigo feel nostalgic. He watched the interaction between his friends quietly. _Where are you, Ichigo?_ he thought.

A bellow from a few meters away made them all jump several feet in the air. It seemed that Tatsuki had finally reached the limit of her idiot-endurance, and unlike Keigo, her zanpaku-tou was still released. Chizuru, unsurprisingly, was the first to go flying.

As her first was heading towards Ikkaku's gut, though, the air... opened. It wasn't a tear, like a hollow's garganta. It was smooth, and almost like a vertical pool hanging there. A slim hand reached out and caught her wrist, stopping her cold.

Keigo smiled. "Hey, Mizuiro!" he called, as the pool widened and his friend stepped through it, holding a wakizashi (7). The blade's edge was coated with a deep purple liquid, the same color as the substance covering the surface of the pool. Mizuiro himself wore the uniform of the Onmitsukidou (8).

Tatsuki, given a chance to think, cooled down. A sympathetic Yuzu pulled her away from her antagonizers, to the relief of pretty much everyone.

Keigo jogged toward Mizuiro. "Hey, what're you doing back so early? I thought you were gonna be gone on your super-secret thingy for the next week!" His friend was still separating himself from everyone. With Ichigo missing, there was nothing really tying him to their group besides habit. It made Keigo sad sometimes, to know that Mizuiro was so closed off from everything. And being in the Onmitsukidou couldn't help - he was fully immersed in a world that encouraged distance from other people, that rejected emotions.

"Well, there're many advantages to being able to cross dimensions and distances in a second," Mizuiro said, giving him that little smile that didn't really reach his eyes. "I thought, since it was Saturday, I'd check in with you." He reached behind him and touched the surface of the strange portal in the air. It rippled, and vanished.

Keigo slung an arm around the ninja's shoulders. "Well, I'm happy you did," he said, grinning.

It was easy to fall back into the old patterns of interaction, though with Ichigo and Orihime absent, there was something missing that even their shinigami friends couldn't replace. Keigo could stop thinking about things he couldn't fix with his friends to distract him.

He spared one more thought to his missing friends. _Wherever you are, I hope you're happy, Ichigo._

.

**_warmthwarmthwarmth_**

.

1. müde - tired

2. Dochitsukazu - literally "gray area", my name for the zanpaku-tou world

3. kitsune - fox-spirit, typically pictured with fox ears and tail, mine has thin fur on the outsides of her arms and legs and clawed hands and feet as well

4. furisode - the formal kimonos worn by people like noblewomen and geishas and on special occasions

5. Reiou - the Soul King

6. kaihou - release (Renji uses this in volume 7)

7. wakizashi - short sword, like Gin's

8. Onmitsukidou - the Stealth Force

.

Well, this is the first chapter where I really hint of things to come, besides Aizen's cryptic visit. There isn't much of the main trio, but I felt like I should put in some other things. (Besides, while I can write Ishida's behavior, getting in his head is _hard_.)

The humans show up! Yay!

Here's their positions:

_Karin - third seat, ninth company_

_Yuzu - fourth seat, fourth company_

_Chado - fifth seat, ninth company_

_Keigo - seventh seat, thirteenth company_

_Tatsuki - sixth seat, eleventh company_

_Mizuiro - fourth seat, second company, and commander of the Secret Remote Squad_

_Chizuru - tenth seat, eleventh company_

I believe Byakuya will show up next chapter. That'll be interesting. And the mysterious girl that Sode no Shirayuki talked about will show up later on, with Ashido.

.

Review Replies:

**Maverick14th:** Thanks! I like writing them from someone else's POV, it's really interesting. I'm going to introduce Ashido later on, but he'll be playing an important role, as will Aizen. Updates will definitely be coming quicker, now that I have the storyline figured out ^-^.

**Gemini24:** *holds up hands* Okie-dokie, I'll be putting Ashido in, then :). I love how Tatsuki is like Kukaku, too ^.^. And Tatsuki was just in her last year in the school, so she was chosen to greet the freshmen. I'll put Eishi in next chapter, when Byakuya shows up. And here's a little IchiIshi for ya... ;). And Aizen's visitor shall remain shrouded in mystery for now... XD. Thank you for the wonderful reviews!

**KaKashiisWifey:**I decided to use their new names, because they sort of are someone else for the time being. They'll go back to being themselves later on, though. Thanks for reviewing again!

**Reina de la Noche:** No worries, Ashido's gonna be there XD! And I adore long hair on Ichi. So hot... *drools* And here's some IchiIshi ^-^. As for Isshin... well, I've no idea what his zanpaku-tou is, I just know that it's similar to Zangetsu (because Isshin could teach Ichigo about it), so if really necessary, I'm playing the AU card. As for the humans' zanpaku-tou, some of them show up here, though you'll have to wait for the others ^-^. And HIchigo will show up soon, don't you worry! As for the zanpaku-tou, I wrote this scene without really thinking about it, and then I re-read your review, and I was like 0.o. So I hope this satisfies! And thank you for your enthusiastic reviews!

**KurosakiCrystal18:** Awesomeness! Thankyou! I haven't wrote this yet, but Rukia realizes it's him, thought she doesn't tell anyone. Besides her, no one else does until he has to use his full powers.

**Cased In Darkness:** Wow. Really, I'm so happy about this review. I wanted Ichigo to have people with him to support him, so I'm happy you think that was a good choice. And I agree - Range is insanely well written. I wish I had black. k. kat's way with words. As for the typos and twisting of words... ^^', yeah, I've gone back through and noticed those. Whoops. My eyes just skipped right over those when I wrote and re-read - and I don't have a beta-reader to catch those for me. I think I did a little better this time, though. Mugetsu actually means "no moon", so it still fits in with Zangestu, which I believe is "blade moon". And I'm sorry it took so long to update T^T. Really. Your threat is a good motivator, though ^^'. Thank you for your awesome review!

**La terrible La:** I love Ishida. He's absolutely fabulous ^-^. Thank you!

**My Solitude: **Thank you! :)


	7. Initialize

Sweet mother of God this was a monster of a chapter. 7676 words for the story part alone. And I wrote most of it in, like three days.

Goes to show how much fresh air and exercise will get your brain working. Not to mention clear up an enormous amount of stress. To all my wonderful readers - move around! Go outside! It's freaking terrific!

Anyway, I you like the chapter! With my new creative streak, I'll probably get the next one out by the end of next week. Yay!

(Also, beware of the freakishly long but very informative AN at the end of the chapter.)

And now, as promised, Byakuya makes his debut appearance. Read on!

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_**warmthwarmthwarmth**_

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The moment he stepped into the world of the living, Kurosaki Ichigo resurfaced. The air here was different; less... heavy. Sure, it was less fresh and clean than in the Soul Society, but it was more freeing. And the noise of the city below them was familiar - this was a sound he had grown up with.

Eishi stepped up in front of him, obviously curious even behind the Kuchiki mask she was attempting to keep up. She leaned over the edge of the roof they were collected on, keeping her hands locked together behind her back. Below them was a busy road, the bright lights of the cars flowing by in a steady stream through the night.

Quickly, he feigned the same curiosity. After all, Shiba Kei had been born in the Soul Society.

Ishida - no, he reminded himself, this was Akito - and Ino- _Atsumi_ stood right behind him. Even as Kei, he was unused to them being technically his servants. It made him uncomfortable. They had learned, though, that it was simpler to just follow the customs of the nobility.

Rensanka-sensei stood in the air in front of them. "Welcome to the world of the living," she said. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you that this place is more dangerous than the Seireitei, or even the Rukongai. It is easier for a hollow to sense shinigami reiatsu here, and backup is not even in this world. And you will be distracted by pluses (1).

"For the past several years, there has been a steady increase in the number of hollows entering the world of the living. Because of this, there has been an increase in the number of shinigami deployed to the world of the living. Soutaichou (2) has decided that those of you in the advanced class, who will be recruited right after your graduation, must be familiar with operating in the world of the living. That is why, for the next week, you will be watching over a specified section of Kamigyou-ku (3) in Kyoto, with backup in the form of your instructors and several Gotei 13 members only a moment away.

"You have already been assigned to teams. These teams have taken into account your performance levels when working with the other students during your classes. Cooperation is essential."

Kei knew his team's location already; they had all received instructions on paper the day before. Unsurprisingly, he was put with Atsumi, Akito, and Eishi.

It was exhilarating to him. The idea that he would be able to fight real hollows (again) and live (metaphorically) in the human world (again).

He leapt eagerly off the roof as soon as Rensanka-sensei was finished speaking. It was also liberating to be unafraid that as soon as he got upset, a hoard of hollows would come running. His team followed close behind.

He glanced back and saw Eishi staring down as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. this way, it wasn't long before they were inside their designated zone. "It's great, isn't it?" he said, grinning at the Kuchiki.

Her eyes were wide open, jumping from city light to city light. She spun around, not fast, trying to take in the nightscape all at once. The view was amazing; they were on top of the highest building around for several streets. It was clear she hadn't paid attention to a word he'd said.

Kei started to laugh. Good-naturedly, but still. It didn't help that when she turned to scowl at him, her feet got all tangled up, and, already dizzy from spinning, she fell face-first onto the concrete. Atsumi helped her up, though she made little effort to hide her smile as well.

Eishi was no doubt longing to throw him a glare that would burn him into little bits of ash. The side of her that had been raised as a Kuchiki, though, finally took over and calmed her. He calmed himself as well, clearing his throat. "So," he said, crossing his arms. The remnant of the grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "We could either use our gigais and blend in as humans, or we could stay like this."

He could see the same wish flit across the two women's faces. He knew it; he missed this world, too. It was Akito who spoke up, though. "It would be more convenient if we stayed shinigami. Hollows in this area would be drawn to our reiatsu, rather than to pluses, and we would not have to take the time to exit our gigais."

Kei looked at his nakama. His face was impassive, and Kei honestly couldn't tell if he'd rather live as a human again or not. Before he could respond, though, Atsumi cut in.

"That's true, Akito-kun. But I would like to learn what it's like to be a human. I think the others would as well." She looked at Kei, as if asking him for his opinion.

He sighed. "Eishi?" he asked. "Do you want to use the gigais?"

"Yes!" Her answer was immediate. "I mean... that's fine." She didn't quite blush.

He smiled at her, and turned to his friend. "Well, Akito... I think you're outvoted for now. Remember that this is a training exercise, not a real mission. On a real mission, we'd have less chance to do this. Right now, we have people making sure that the load isn't too heavy, and gigais aren't that much more inconvenient than staying in our shinigami bodies." It was a little uncomfortable to say this.

Akito nodded without much hesitation. "I thought that would be your decision." He met Kei's eyes, and Kei understood what he was really saying. "But I'm going to stay out of my gigai, just in case."

It was surprising. Before they'd gotten here, Kei had just assumed that his friend was as homesick as he was at times. And he knew that Akito could ignore his own desires for the sake of security or a mission. But Ishida couldn't. Ishida was too prideful and, yes, selfish to do that. Akito was a soldier; Ishida wasn't.

So did Ishida really not want to be human again?

In any case, Kei couldn't just stand there, staring, until he figured it out. Internally, he shook his head, and answered Akito. "Sure," he said. "Just stick close."

Leaning over the roof of the building, he saw that there was a conveniently deserted alley between this building and the next. They obviously couldn't change into gigais on top of this roof. (He had a hunch, though, that the pre-dead Ichigo wouldn't have figured that out and would have gotten himself in a mess that Ishida would have laughed hysterically at. The thought almost made him shudder.)

"Follow me," he ordered, and easily jumped over the meter-high barrier at the edge of the roof and fell sixteen stories to the ground, which consisted of gravel and dirt and weeds. The impact shuddered through his body, reminding him again that he was in this living world, where there was no reishi to push against his reiatsu and slow his fall. He could feel the lumpy, sharp stones on the ground through his sandals.

Kei watched the other three land, and was thoroughly convinced that even if he practiced for years, he would never be able to fall as gracefully as Akito and Eishi could. Thankfully for his ego, Atsumi landed with almost the same thump that he did. Not embarrassingly clumsily, but not even close to the fluid movements of the other two, who had landed with practically no sound at all, smoothly bending their knees and straightening.

Clearing his throat and tearing his eyes away from Akito, the last to land, he took out from the pocket in his hakama a little round pill, a lot like the gikongan pills but a bit bigger and pitch black. Urahara-san's portable gigais were standard issue now (there were rumors that Kurotsuchi was _not_ pleased). He put his lips to the circular white dot on the pill and blew.

It was rather awkward to expand one of these (and knowing Urahara-san, he had probably made it that way on purpose). But it was efficient, only taking a few seconds to inflate and become a solid, body-shaped container for a shinigami. Easily, he slipped into it, the identical body readily accepting his soul.

He blinked open his eyes, adjusting to the heavy feeling of being bound by gravity that he hadn't felt for over a decade. For a moment, he nearly lost his balance, but the feeling quickly passed. It was the same for Atsumi.

Eishi, however, wasn't so lucky. She stumbled forward, grabbing onto Atsumi to keep herself upright. The resulting flailing of arms made up for the previous display of grace threefold, and once again he wanted to laugh out loud, though he was successful in holding himself in check this time. This was the least composed he'd seen a Kuchiki since... well... ever, really. Even when Rukia had been beating him up and yelling at him, he had always been able to sense an icy control and dignity. The same went for Byakuya when he had fought him. Now Eishi was red-faced and, once she had finished snapping at Akito's smart remark, grinning herself.

Kei slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans, something he hadn't done in a very, very long time. Kimonos and hakama (4) were all well and good, but he had always preferred clothes that fit tightly to his skin. They had been able to choose what clothes their gigais would wear (the nobles had been especially fun to watch during this exercise).

He had one indulgence. It was risky if he saw anyone he knew, but he couldn't help it. The faded green tee he had on had bold white numbers on it - 15.

His waist-long black hair was pulled back with an elastic hairband. It felt strange as well; having it long and black while in a human form.

Both of the women wore long, flowing skirts, though Kei had the sneaking suspicion that under her skirt, Eishi was sporting the very short black shorts she had been eyeing, but had been too dignified to wear on their own. Atsumi wore a ruffled maroon tank top over her ankle-length lavender skirt. Eishi wore a white button-up above her own knee-length black skirt. She had even added a skinny black tie. At least she wore black flats rather than heels.

Kei glanced over to Akito, who was observing him with a strange look on his face. "Akito," he said, snapping the man out of his trance. He looked thoughtfully at his stubborn nakama. Well, he could be just as stubborn when he wanted to, and he wasn't going to just let his nakama mope around away from them.

"What?" the former Quincy asked.

"Get out your gigai," he ordered, sharing his decision. As Akito sputtered, stating that he didn't _mope_, Kei impatiently walked over to him and fished out the gigai pill himself. He held Akito at arm's length while he blew it up, ignoring his protests.

"So," he said, releasing his friend to properly hold the gigai, "here's the deal. I'm ordering you to join us. Got it?"

That shut the man up quite effectively. Akito glowered at him, but conceded to the order. "It's safer if we stick together with our reiatsu hidden," Kei offered, though it was just an excuse to keep his nakama from complaining _too_ much.

Akito slid into his gigai, which wore black slacks and a navy shirt with Chinese fasteners along one side. He touched the bridge of his nose in an old habit, adjusting nonexistent glasses. "Let's go," he said, pointedly not looking at them.

Kei grinned and followed Akito out of the dirty alleyway and onto a bright, noisy sidewalk.

To anyone who bothered to pay attention, they probably looked like a group of university students out on the town, maybe a double date. As they went on, Kei was forced to admit that a fair number of people bothered to pay attention. Boys drooled after Atsumi and Eishi, and girls made eyes at Akito and himself. It was rather unnerving. He didn't usually notice many girls looking at him, but some of the ones that passed probably couldn't even pronounce "subtlety". That went double for the men. A couple even grabbed Atsumi's shoulders. Kei moved to remove them with as much force as he could get away with, and he saw Akito and Eishi moving to do the same, but before they could lay a hand on the men, Atsumi... did something with her fingers, and they stumbled back, rolling their eyes back and gasping in pain. Kei made a mental to never piss her off (or at the very least not be foolish enough to get anywhere near her for a while afterward).

He wasn't sure what they were looking for - they seemed to just be wandering aimlessly in a crowd of people - but when he saw a pizza place that looked as if it made its pizza with as must cheese and grease as possible, he stopped them and marched inside. His mouth was watering before they even set foot in the place.

In his back pocket was the wallet with the money and ID provided by the Academy. They had 250,000 yen each (~2,500 U.S. dollars), enough for several nights in a hotel and plenty of food. He had never been more grateful for kidou.

"Sweet," he said, grinning as they stepped inside. Atsumi was practically drooling as well, and it seemed Akito had been tempted out of his sulking by the prospect of good, greasy pizza. Eishi was the only one who looked unsure of herself - overwhelmed by the sheer sensory overload - but she was sniffing the air hungrily.

"Some of the spirits in the Rukongai who remembered their lives told us about this stuff," he explained to her. It wasn't entirely a lie. "A large pepperoni pizza," he ordered at the counter.

"Oh! Um, could you add pineapple and sausage and... um, jalapenos on one quarter of that, please?" Atsumi put in quickly. The teen behind the counter looked starstruck, and stuttered out a confirmation. The happy, excited smile she gave him nearly made him swoon.

"Uh, um, your order is 1,684 yen (~ 17 dollars). Would you like anything else?" He kept glancing back to Atsumi - or, more specifically, her chest - as he plugged in their order, and the question seemed like it was directed at her.

Kei cleared his throat, and the teen jumped slightly and looked back at him. Quickly deciding not to piss off the well-muscled man with insanely long hair, he said, "Yes, sir?"

"Four cups of water," he said. "That's all, thanks."

"Ah, got it. The water is free, so it's just 1,684." The poor guy kept his eyes on the cash register now, and Kei felt a little sympathy for the guy. He handed over the money, and the kid quickly counted out the change and handed it to him.

"Your order will be ready in a few minutes. Thank you for your patronage!" He gave a nervous smile.

Kei turned away, stuffing the change in a denim pocket. "Come on," he said to his friends, leading them over to a booth with hard plastic seats. "Well," he started, looking around at them. "How do you like the mundane world of humans?"

He grinned while the girls laughed.

.

Yuzu was scared. It didn't show, but she was terrified. It was always like this whenever she was sent out into the world, outside the protective walls of the Seireitei. She could see the monsters now, like Karin-chan and onii-chan (5). They were pitiful, hideous creatures that longed to devour her.

She missed onii-chan. She missed his protectiveness, his warmth, his kindness and strength. She missed the baths he would indulge her with - that was her time to have him all to herself, no Karin, no oji-chan (6). Just onii-chan and Yuzu.

She had to be strong. She knew onii-chan was out there somewhere, getting stronger, and he would come back. She wanted him to notice her, to be proud of her. She wanted him to smile at her and ruffle her hair.

Yuzu put the pads of her fingers on the spot where she wore her strawberry hair clip - a gift from onii-chan when they were both a lot younger, when she was still his precious baby sister. It was her most prized possession. She never went anywhere without it. If she had it, she felt like onii-chan's spirit was watching out for her, making sure she was safe. She knew it.

Why else would it house her guardian angel?

She remembered that first time Oukami-sama (7) had appeared always so vividly in her mind. She had been frozen with a fear so strong it dwarfed what she was feeling now.

_Karin was standing over her, fists raised in a futile show of defiance. In an instant, she was struck down by a sweep of a white sword. Blood poured onto the tiled floor of their kitchen, and her sister, who had always seemed so untouchable, collapsed onto the floor in front of her, life gone before she hit the ground. She could see Karin's eyes, dull and unseeing._

_Yuzu screamed, clutching the sides of her head. Shock and terror tore through her._

_The white-clothed man who had just- (no, she couldn't think about that, no no no) stepped forward, and she gasped for breath. He was smirking, that twisted expression conveying madness more effectively than any words ever could. His indigo eyes were narrowed in cruel conviction._

_In the part of her mind that was still functioning coherently, she saw the darkness in his eyes that was years upon years of despair and anger._

_He took another step forward, and all of her thoughts vanished. She pushed herself away from him, sliding backward on the floor until her back hit the cabinets and she couldn't go any further. She refused to look at the thing on the floor that was not her sister, _could not be her sister_. Another man stood behind him, silver-haired and wearing a snake's grin. She was sobbing now, her vision blurring, her entire body shaking violently, her mouth hanging open in an effort to breathe through the hitching of her chest._

_The man with mad eyes raised his sword again. "No... no..." she gasped out, turning her face away and lifting her arms to shield her head. She squeezed her eyes shut._

"_NO!"_

_Suddenly she heard the sound of metal on metal. She opened her eyes to see the back of a warrior crouched in front of her, his sword straining to stop the mad-eyed man's from advancing any further. "I will not permit you to harm even one hair on my Hime-sama's (8) head!" he declared._

_His head turned toward her to reveal a beautiful young man. "Don't worry, Hime-sama," he said, giving her a strained smile. "I am here for you."_

_The mad-eyes man put pressure on his sword, and the warrior grunted with effort, turning back to him. With a yell of defiance, he levered the mad-eyed man's sword up as he slowly stood._

"_Interesting," the mad-eyed man mused. "Don't you think, Gin? Though I suppose I should expect nothing less from the sister of Kurosaki Ichigo. Unfortunately," he continued, flicking his sword and scattering drops of red blood (not Karin's blood, not her sister's blood), "I'm running short on time. I'm sorry about this, Kurosaki-chan, really I am. But I'm afraid this is necessary for Kurosaki-san's evolution."_

_The warrior quickly tensed and brought his sword up in a defensive stance, but he was too slow. He was sent flying back, landing next to Yuzu. His head leaning back on the cabinets near her shoulder, smearing red blood on the white surface, he smiled sadly up at her. "I am sorry, Hime-sama. I am not strong enough to protect you. I have failed." He turned his body, grunting with effort, until he was kneeling in front of her. "But at least I can do one thing for you."_

_Gently, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his warmth. "Sweet dreams, Hime-sama," he whispered, as she saw the man with mad eyes lifting his sword once more, insane smirk replaced by a cold determination. Soft fingers pressed a spot on her neck, and her body went slack, her eyes sliding closed. She relaxed in her savior's arms, painless darkness taking her away from his nightmare. She never felt the sword pierce her skin._

Yes, Yuzu had to be strong. And with Oukami-sama guarding her at every step, she could be. She placed her hands on the shinigami's bloody chest, golden light flowing from them, listening to Oukami-sama's yells of determination, and knowing that she would be safe, because he was a gift from onii-chan, and he would always protect her.

.

Kei cleaved downward through a nameless hollow's mask, not bothering to watch as it dissolved. Instead, he leapt away, to confront the next of the multitude of hollows converging on his team.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Not even two days into their training exercise, and they were attacked by hundreds of hollows, all coming at the same time. It was like that first meeting with Ishida, only three times as many enemies, and fairly strong ones, too. And he might be far better trained, but he didn't have those massive stores of reiatsu to draw on now.

It was like someone had told the hollows that a group of students were on a mission in the world of the living. It was like... someone had told the hollows that Kurosaki Ichigo was there, weaker than he had been. Weak enough to be overwhelmed.

He slashed the arm off of a hollow who tried to grab Akito. Another was foolish enough to grab one of his icy blue spears. It immediately released it, howling in pain. Kei had learned for himself, the hard way, about the nasty side effect of Akito's reiatsu - currents of hot and cold ran alongside each other, triggering pain receptors when touched. Using the distraction, Akito carved through the white mask, the hollow dissolving instantly.

A little ways away, Kei could see the women fighting. Hollows turned sluggish when Atsumi nicked them, letting her slice them open. Eishi was clad in the steel skin of her shikai, blades rising from the metal on her forearms. Together, they cut their attackers to ribbons.

_King_, a voice whispered in his mind.

It had been a while since Kei had heard that voice, dampened by Orihime's seal but not silenced. It was high and echoed. The creature wasn't as wild as he had been years ago, but he was still untamed, and bloodthirsty.

_Let me come out and play. These lowlifes will be gone in seconds._

He ignored the voice, focusing on the battlefield. In the distance, he felt the reiatsu of other students and their instructors, fighting their own hollows. Below them, the humans continued with their evening, unaware of the raging battle over their heads.

With a yell, he drove Kurotsuki into the hideous face of yet another hollow. The mask cracked, but this monster was more resilient than the others. It raked its claws through the air, and Kei tried to flip out of the way, yanking Kurotsuki out, but the hollow was surprisingly fast and Kei was already tiring, and three gashes formed across his left side.

Akito shun-po'ed to his side. Distracted, a different hollow hit him hard, and Kei heard the crunch of bone. His nakama put his hand up, and silver threads leapt from his fingertips and wound around the creature's neck, slicing it cleanly off. Rapidly, they turned purple, and circled around the two shinigami, weaving into a net that enclosed them in a cube, thicker threads serving as bars that kept its structure.

"Nice trick," Kei gasped, holding his side together. Akito ignored him, the golden light of healing kidou glowing under his skin. He put his hands together and drew them slowly apart, a gold fabric stretching between them. He quickly placed this over Kei's wounds, the fabric sinking into his skin.

It felt hot, almost unbearably so, but it quickly stopped the pain. He could almost feel it holding his skin together, stopping the flow of blood. "That should do for now," Akito informed him, breathing a bit heavier than he already had been.

"You too," Kei insisted. "Some of your ribs are probably broken."

His nakama glanced at him, and didn't bother with protests after one look at Kei's face. He nodded, and touched the threads of the cube keeping them safe from the mass of hollows. "Fine," he said, "but you should get back out there." The section around where he touched paled, and Kei jumped through without hesitation, passing without problem.

It was chaos out here. He sped over to the women, deciding that it was best to stay together. So far, Atsumi had only gotten shallow cuts and scratches, but none of them could keep this up for long. They were only students in the academy right now - some of the top students, yes, but students nonetheless. At the most, they could maybe match some of the lower seats.

He was saved from another bad wound by a blue reiatsu-spear. Akito flashed in next to him. Without even speaking, the four of them put their backs to one another, facing out towards the enemies on all sides. They were all breathing heavily - even Atsumi, who didn't usually have to expend much energy to defeat an opponent.

Kei was getting desperate. Atsumi finally suffered a major wound - she was stabbed in the shoulder by a pointed tale. One of the monsters had managed to cut through Eishi's steel skin, giving her a cut right down the center of her torso. Akito's kidou spells were holding them together, but they weren't really healing them, and making them took a lot of energy out of the raven.

Just as a huge, sleek, eel-like hollow was about to take a bite out of him, though, it exploded in a massive fireball. When the smoke cleared, Kei saw a man standing there, white haori over a sleeveless shihakushou. Kensei had his zanpaku-tou in its released form, a razor-sharp knife. H looked down at Kei, and the younger man held his breath.

No flicker of recognition flashed in his old ally's eyes, though, and Kei let out his breath when Kensei, no, Muguruma-taichou shun-po'ed away, vigorously stabbing another hollow and blowing it to smithereens. Around the captain, four other shinigami, all wearing sleeveless shihakushou marking them as officers of Ninth Company, destroyed hollows with a vengeance. They were easy to recognise - Mashiro, felling them with ferocious kicks, Hisagi, yanking his scythe-like blades through them, Chad, using in turns his right arm and his own zanpaku-tou, which created sheets of bright red flames with each sweep of his sword; and lastly, his own little sister, cleaving open the monsters with a Chinese sword.

She was barely recognisable, with her orange-streaked hair falling past her shoulders, and her body so much more mature. She sported a grin on her face worthy of Ikkaku (it wasn't quite the level of battle-lust of Kenpachi's), and toned arms that wielded that big, long sword like it was made of bamboo.

Kei tore his eyes away from her when a large, fat hollow reared up in front of him, almost catching him off guard. He threw himself into the fight again, pushing aside Ichigo's thoughts. In what seemed like only a handful of minutes, he raised his sword and found nothing to use it against. No more hollows screamed at him. The last one dissolved into nothing, impaled on Karin's sword.

With a huff of exhaustion, Kei slumped in on himself, his zanpaku-tou sealing away into the form of a regular katana. He felt Akito lean back against him, and welcomed the warmth. He felt like he could sleep for a decade.

.

_He hunts alone on the sands of Hueco Mundo, his subjects lost in the roiling mass of souls inside of him. He grows stronger, his mind fixed only on his one goal - to evolve, and maybe finally be free of this all-consuming emptiness. He doesn't hope to strongly, though._

_Finally, after what must have been centuries, he feels it. When he tears into this one last hollow, he feels a tsunami of power welling up inside of him. His body tears, forcing him into a new shape. It is painful, but he welcomes it so gladly. He feels clearer than he has ever felt, the fear of dissolving back into that pitiful state of drowning in a mass of malicious souls vanishing with every second._

_He is finally truly superior to all of the lesser, insignificant hollows. Their power pales tremendously next to his. His only equals are the other Lordes of Hueco Mundo, and he will surpass them, even, someday._

_He refuses to be a part of that fool's pathetic court. Barragan can go fuck himself. As far as he is concerned, the so-called Hollow King is a sham of a Vasto Lorde, sitting around endlessly and letting his weakling army kiss the ground he walks on - that is, when he even bothers to move at all._

_He would not be a king like that, lazing around for eternity and letting those whimpering idiots live as his servants. He would kill anyone that pathetic. His world would be one where only the strong survive to serve him._

_He hunts in the edges of the desert, scorning the tamer inner places. From time to time, he feels the immense reiatsu of other Lordes, but he never encounters one._

_He is still alone. That is the only wrongness he feels. He has no one to be king to. Still, he kills all that he meets, consuming them in order to gain strength._

_Something interrupts his hunt one day, though. A shinigami appears in front of him - two, actually. He has rarely met shinigami before, and the few that he had he devoured. He steps forward, intending to do the same, but a ferocious reiatsu slams into him, forcing him to the ground. Unable to breathe, he struggles to flee, but he can not move. Unable to do anything else, he glares up at the shinigami and snarls, trying to hide his fear so that he will not be seen as weak._

_The shinigami smiles at him. Over his black uniform, he wears a white coat of some sort. His face looks soft and kind, but he can see the coldness in the shinigami's brown eyes and his smile._

"_Well, Gin, what do you think of our first Vasto Lorde?"_

_The silver-haired snake-man behind the overwhelming shinigami grins even wider than he had been. "Quite the ferocious lil' kitty, ain't he?" the snake-man drawls, looking at him with slitted eyes._

"_Yes, I think he'll do."_

_The shinigami walks up so that he is standing over the panther, looking down on him. He doesn't remember ever feeling so terrified, so... weak. He can practically smell danger and death on this man._

_From a pocket in the uniform's sleeve, the shinigami draws out an indigo sphere. He holds it out over the panther lorde and smiles coldly. There is a flash of light, and the feline-like Vasto Lorde is once again twisted into a new shape._

_Grimmjow brings up his tanned, human-shaped hands, looking at them in wonder. Hesitantly, he feels his face - it is soft and warm, no longer covered by a white bone mask except for a jagged jawbone on his right cheek. He can think now, he can reason. His hunger for souls has diminished, letting him act outside of his instincts._

_He looks up at the shinigami with begrudging awe. "Wh-what did you do to me?" he croaks out, his voice rough from misuse._

_The cold smile on the shinigami's face never wavers. "I triggered your evolution," he says simply. He studies Grimmjow for a moment, as if deciding whether or not he is suitable. Clearly, he decides the panther-like man is, because he asks, "What is your name, my new arrancar?"_

"_G-grimmjow," the... arrancar? says. "Grimmjow... Jeagerjaques." The second name comes to his lips unbidden, pulled from some recess of his mind. But it feels right, like it is supposed to be there. "What's an arrancar?" he demands._

"_Grimmjow..." the shinigami muses. "I will explain everything to you eventually. For now, though..." he lets up on his reiatsu, letting Grimmjow clamber to his feet. "I am Aizen Sousuke. Follow me, Grimmjow, be my arrancar, and I will give you power. You will be like a king, Grimmjow."_

_The hollow - no, the arrancar, a new kind of being - isn't a fool. He knows that this shinigami never means to let Grimmjow stand as his equal. Still... there is no doubt in Grimmjow's mind that this man is powerful enough to rule the world. And if the arrancar refuses him, he could not expect to live for another minute. This man is the key to his rise. This man is worthy of being Grimmjow's king... for now._

_He kneels, reluctantly. "I will serve you, Aizen...sama," he says._

_The shinigami smiles._

.

"That was _insane_," Eishi stated. Bandages covered her entire torso. Too tired to be her usual dignified self, she flopped down onto her futon. Akito, a large purple bruise showing above and below the bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs, made a tired sound of agreement, wincing slightly with each breath. Next to Eishi, Atsumi rested her arm gingerly in her lap, taking care not to disturb her shoulder. Kei, sitting next to Akito on Atsumi's futon and leaning back against the wall, had his own bandages wrapped around his abdomen.

He sighed and tilted his head back until it thumped against the wall. "It was like they were waiting for us to come," he said, thinking back to the overwhelming forces that attacked as one. "And they were strangely... organised."

Atsumi hummed. "It's a good thing Muguruma-taichou and his officers showed up when they did," she said. "They were so amazing!" She glanced at Kei while she said this. No doubt she was thinking about seeing Karin and Chado on that battlefield in the sky.

"Yeah, they were," Eishi said, sighing and turning onto her side. "We have years and years of training before we could be like them."

Atsumi sat up, eyes alight, holding a fist aloft. "Don't sell yourself short, Eishi-chan! You'll see - all of us will catch up to them so quickly, they won't know what hit them!" The Kuchiki heir smiled, cheered by her friend's antics.

A smooth voice outside the door jerked them to attention. "Eishi, I would like to speak with you," the voice that was unmistakably Kuchiki Byakuya's stated. Eishi, wide-eyed, emitted a small "eep!" sound, struggling to get to her feet and straighten her white and red shihakushou and comb out her hair with her fingers all at the same time.

She took a deep breath once she was fully upright. "One moment, please, Byakuya-sama," she said in a tone so similar to his. The other three in the room fixed themselves up as well, albeit much more calmly. Composed, Eishi walked over to the door, sliding it open and bowing formally to the captain standing outside the door.

"It is an honor," she said. "May I inquire as to your purpose?"

Kuchiki-taichou's eyes travelled around the room before focusing back on his cousin and heir. "I heard of your battle against the hollows in the world of the living," he said cooly. "Many of your instructors commended you on your efforts."

Eishi blinked in surprise. "I- I am deeply honored," she said, bowing even deeper.

"I would like to speak with you, along with the rest of your team. All of them were praised as well."

"Of course, Byakuya-sama. Would you... ah, like to go somewhere else?" she inquired.

"Here will suffice," he answered. "I would like this discussion to stay private."

Eishi moved out of the way, eyes still clearly displaying her disbelief. She quickly slid the door closed, leading her lord and benefactor over to the small square zataku (9) in the middle of the room and letting him sit on one of the simple cushions, which must have been far from the quality the captain was accustomed to.

Awkwardly, she knelt next to him, Kei also taking a place across from Byakuya, as was his right as a Shiba. Akito and Atsumi knelt stiffly behind him on either side.

He locked eyes with Kuchiki-taichou's cold grey ones, which gave nothing away. "You are Shiba Kei, correct?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

"Yes, Kuchiki-taichou-dono (10)," he replied, dipping his head in respect. This man made him nervous - he was so close, staring straight at him, and his mind couldn't help but spin, coming up with situations - Byakuya revealing his true identity to the Gotei 13, which would greet him with destain for abandoning his responsibilities, or eagerness, heaping those responsibilities and the old pressure on him yet again, tearing him from this freer life with his nakama, in which he trained like a normal shinigami, at the levels of a normal shinigami...

He shook himself out of those thoughts as Byakuya spoke. "I was informed that you were the one in command of Eishi's team," he said. "I would like to congratulate you on a job well done."

Ichigo's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull at the sight of Kuchiki Byakuya treating him with respect. Hurriedly, to avoid it showing on his face, he dipped his head again.

"I am greatly honored to have gained the praise of Kuchiki-taichou-dono," he said.

Kuchiki-taichou nodded to him. "I say nothing that isn't true, in regards to both you and my cousin," he said. He turned his head to look at his heir. "Eishi, I have decided to begin to train you in preparation for taking over the Kuchiki House," he said smoothly, as if he were not bringing Eishi into his house formally and preparing to hand over his position to her. "Obviously, you will not be appointed as head of the family for some time, but you clearly have earned to right to greater responsibility."

Eishi's mouth was slightly open in shock. Coming to her senses, she shut it with a snap. Shifting away from the zataku so that she could bow deeply, she said shakily, "I do not know what to say, Byakuya-sama. Truly, I am... beyond honored."

The noble nodded, satisfied. "From now on, report to the Kuchiki estate every Sunday at ten o'clock. You will also consider the estate your residence from now on, rather than the Akiyama house."

The woman straightened. "I understand, Byakuya-sama. I will do so."

Kuchiki-taichou turned his gaze back to Kei after hearing his cousin's confirmation. "Eishi," he began without looking at her, "I would like to discuss something with Shiba Kei and his otsuki (11)." Kei's blood ran cold at those words, absolutely certain of what that something was. "Wait outside the door until I call you back in," he ordered. With a confused, anxious look at Kei, who nodded slightly to reassure her, she obeyed.

He could feel the tense, jittery reiatsu behind him from his nakama. Byakuya gaze him down in a heavy silence, even after the door had slid shut. Kei shifted uneasily, trying to keep eye contact with the noble's intense grey eyes. Even if he wasn't holding such a big secret, this would be nerve-wracking, and as it was, he was pinned in place.

"Well, Kurosaki Ichigo, there are a lot of people who would be very happy to see you," he suddenly said, his voice as even as it always was. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and fright. Byakuya was going to give him a heart attack one day, he was sure of it.

"I- I'm afraid I don't understand," he replied, breathing deeply, eyes darting back and forth from Byakuya's stare to the wall.

For an instant, he could have sworn an amused smile passed across the noble's face. He deduced that his anxiety must have been causing him to see things, because there was no way he had just seen that.

"I understand your reluctance to reveal yourself as Kurosaki. However, I would appreciate it if you did not treat me like a fool."

There, that was more like Byakuya. Still, there was more respect in his voice than Ichigo had ever heard before.

Knowing that it would be of no use to deny it any longer, as that would just irritate the captain, he let his face lapse into the scowl it had once been fixed in. "Fine, then, Bya- Kuchiki-san," he said, making sure not to fall back into his old habit of referring to everyone so casually. "What do you want with me?" He put his elbow on the table and perched his chin on his fist, a pose he had used so very rarely for the past... five years, at least.

The stoic man paused for a second before answering. "What do I want from the three of you would be the most accurate way of putting that question," he said, looking at Atsumi and Akito in turn. "I won't reveal your whereabouts to the Gotei 13, or your family and friends. I can respect your wish for obscurity and normality. However, if you wish to keep up this facade once you become guardsmen, them you will need assistance. And, taking into account your relationship with both Rukia and Eishi, as well as your abilities even as they are now, I would be willing to take you in as officers of my company when you graduate," he said formally.

Ichigo was flabbergasted. Kuchiki Byakuya was not only respecting his wishes, but offering to assist him, and on top of it all, praising him even though he knew who he was. "Are you alright?" he blurted out before he could think about his words. As soon as he realised what he had said, he clapped his hand over his mouth and flushed red.

Byakuya gave a wry smile, one that Ichigo could see actually _wasn't_ a trick of his mind. "Given our past... encounters, I see where you are coming from. However, you are no longer the precocious brat you once were."

"Well, thanks," Ichigo muttered, not very pleased at being to as a brat. Still, it was quite the compliment coming from this man. This was a really, _really_ weird-ass day.

"So, do you accept my offer?" The captain asked, ignoring Ichigo's comment, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. He studied Ichigo meticulously, and his former anxiety came back under that gaze. Warily, he glanced back at Orihime, who smiled, and Ishida, who sighed but nodded.

He swiveled back to Byakuya. "I - we - are grateful for your offer," he said, dipping his head. "We accept."

Byakuya smiled calmly.

.

Rangiku was warm, in a way she rarely was. She was curled up next to Gin, her eyes closed, listening to him breathe. On Gin's other side was Izuru, in a similar position as her. The three of them were dressed in soft yukatas, enjoying the golden morning sun. It was one of their few rest days, when no one cared if they slept next to each other.

There was nothing sexual about this arrangement. The two lieutenants just felt at ease next to the former traitor, sure that he hadn't disappeared again, leaving them behind.

She knew that Gin liked this, too. For so long, he'd denied himself true relationships, true closeness with other people. Now he could let himself indulge in them, two people who loved him. And he could indulge them, as well. He may still be ostracized, kept under close watch by Soi Fon, but she and Izuru were willing to accept him back and practically smother him to make sure he wouldn't leave again.

After a while, when the sun was high in the sky, Izuru sat up, disturbing the blanket alerting the other two. "Mah, Izuru, don' leave," Gin drawled. "It's too early, and I'm ganna get cold, even with Rangiku here to warm me up," he drawled, grabbing the blonde's wrist.

Izuru looked down at him and smiled. "It's probably already noon," he said in his quiet, soft voice. "And you can't just sleep here all day, taichou."

"Ne, I told you ta call me Gin," he said, grinning. "An' I'm not sleepin'. I'm enjoyin' havin' two blondes curled up next ta me ta keep me all cozy-like."

Izuru relented easily. "Alright, tai- Gin-san," he said. "But just for a little bit longer."

"Oh, you workaholic," Rangiku complained. "You're not lazy enough. You need to learn how to properly ignore all your responsibilities and have a good time." She smirked at his blush.

He laid back down, drawing the covers up to his shoulders. "Mah, that's better," Gin said, laying his head on his subordinate's shoulder and closing his eyes.

Rangiku smiled softly at the adorable sight before her - Izuru was blushing madly. Laying on her side, she put her nose against Gin's shoulder in turn. With the two of them, like this, the barrier that kept her emotions shallow and unfixed seemed to flex, letting her feel content. Even Toshiro, the little kid she had picked up in the Rukongai who had become her captain, couldn't quite compare.

Her body relaxing entirely, she closed her eyes, and fell into that blessed state of peace.

.

_**warmthwarmthwarmth**_

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Translations:

1. pluses - wholes, ghosts, whatever you wanna call 'em

2. soutaichou - head captain

3. Kamigyo-ku - a district in Kyoto, literally Kamigyo District

4. hakama - the skirt-like pants worn as part of the shihakushou

5. onii-chan - big brother, more formal than just nii-chan

6. oji-chan - dad

7. Oukami-sama - literally "Lord Wolf"

8. Hime-sama - princess

9. zataku - low traditional table

10. Kuchiki-taichou-dono - Lord Captain Kuchiki

11. otsuki - retainers

.

**Su-pah Ron-gu AN:**

Wow. Seriously. I adore this chapter. I could kiss it, if it weren't digital bits of data floating in cyberspace. Maybe I'll settle for kissing the computer screen.

Now, get ready for a giganto author's note explaining lotsa stuff. I recommend you read it, but if the lines start blurring together, I'll understand ^^'.

I love how Ichigo sort of blurs the boundries between himself and "Shiba Kei" in this one. It shows that he's really maturing and becoming comfortable with himself, which I don't think he was before, what with the abnormality of seeing ghosts, then of being the super-man of the spiritual world, then suddenly losing all of that, not to mention his guilt from his mother's death.

The interaction between Eishi and the trio is great. I hadn't really explored that before, so I enjoyed it a lot. It was also great to explore their experience in the world of the living, now that they're shinigami. I love the parts with guys drooling after Orihime. I meant to put something in there with girls going after the two guys, too, but oh well.

And it feels so weird to refer to Ichigo, Ishida, and Orihime as men and women. Because they are now - around twenty-eight years old - but I still think of them as the misfit teenagers that they are in the series.

Yuzu's scene was interesting to write. I think she has a total big brother complex - Kubo-sensei certainly hints about it pretty heavily in the chapters right after the giganto time-skip. I wanted to give her a Fullbring that used her strawberry hair clip, which obviously represents her precious onii-chan. And I didn't really want Karin to have one - partially because I have no idea what it would be - so I had her gaining it right before Aizen kills her. It was also interesting to write out her terror, and how even in that state, her extraordinary talent for reading people shows through when she encounters Aizen.

I also love Oukami-sama. Kawaii!

Also, our first battle scene! Yay! We get to see the gang whoopin' hollow butt! (And getting beat up too, but ya know, whatever. That just makes it better. Plus Karin kicks ass.) I didn't want to make them really strong, given that they _are_ still academy students, regardless of previous experience. None of the trio is nearly as strong as they used to be, thanks to Orihime's sealing powers. But they had to be strong enough not to be absolutely pathetic, as well as catch the attention of their instructors and Byakuya (without gaining too much attention and looking suspicious). I think I did a good job of finding the right balance.

And you get to find out Ishida's zanpaku-tou's extra nasty power (which is the reason Shinso was wary of touching Engel Lanze in the last chapter, as well). Ishida is someone who is not afraid to fight dirty and take advantage of surprise attacks and distractions, and I think he can have a cruel streak as well, so I thought this was perfect for him. And if you have two tubes of water side by side, one with warm water and one with cold water, and you grab them at the same time, it does actually feel like your hand is burning, because the nerve sensors for pain, heat, and cold are all actually jumbled together, and they get all confused, so they just send pain signals to your brain to get it to tell your hand to release the thing that's confusing them. I love my psychology class.

Grimmjow's was also awesome to write as well. Tons of fanfics have him as very disloyal to Aizen, and disrespecting of him, and I think that even though he's rebellious, he does actually respect Aizen, and would continue to follow him. I think all of the Espada are like that - certainly those like Arroniero and Zommari (the dude with the eyes) are obviously loyal, and Starrk and Halibel are grateful to him. Barragan and Yammy might be the exceptions, and Szayel and Nnoitora are probably there just for the hell of it. Ulquiorra... I have no idea what was going on in his head. He was obedient, but it was like he wasn't really loyal. After all, he did hide his Segunda Etapa from Aizen. And Nel was probably loyal, too. Because that's just how she is.

I think the Espada from Grimmjow up used to be Vasto Lordes. That includes Nelliel, of course. I also think that the rest of the Vasto Lordes pretty much held Barragan, who set up a court and basically lazed around, in contempt, like they thought he wasn't a proper Vasto Lorde. Before Aizen tried to make any Vasto Lordes part of his arrancar army, he experimented with gillians and adjuchas. He then intended to conquer Barragan, and use his influence over the lesser hollows to make things easier, but he needed to make sure he was strong enough to overpower him, even though he was pretty sure. Grimmjow just happened to be the first Vasto Lorde - and the youngest - that he came across.

(By the way, sorry about Grimmjow's mouth ^^'.)

As for Byakuya... well, that was just super fun to write. Nothing more to say, really.

About Gin/Rangiku/Izuru: Their relationship isn't sexual at all, really. It isn't even very romantic. Izuru and Rangiku are drawn to Gin, and they wouldn't be able to stand it if he betrayed them again. They both forgave him pretty much immediately, but they still don't really trust that he won't up and disappear. I don't think they even really believe that he's really back, not to mention willing to be closer to them, and they want to reassure themselves of that.

I put in the seemingly random bits with the non-main characters because the plot will start picking up pace in the next few chapters, and I want you guys to get a feel for what these characters are feeling before everything goes sideways. Plus, I just love these characters, so I'm indulging myself, really. Heehee.

And next chapter another character who has been requested makes an appearance! (Maybe even two of them... depending on the mood of the chapter... hmm...)

Definitely Shiro is showing up. I know, that breaks my pattern of Ichi, Ishi, Ichi, Hime, repeat, but oh well. Maybe part of it will be in Orihime's POV. Also, Shiro's name will not be Shiro. I decided to use something a little less obvious and more creative than "Shiro" or "Hichigo" or "Ogihci". So there. And it fits him so well... I didn't have to do anything with it at all ,the word practically jumped off the page when I was browsing my Japanese/English dictionary. Muahaha.

So, that's the end of my insanely long AN! See ya next time! Reviews = updates, so tell me what you think!

Thank you for sticking with me this far! It's been great!

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Review Replies:

**Cased In Darkness:** I am very honored that you bothered to review by phone ^-^. I'm so happy you love my story. Byakuya showed up, here ya go :). Ah, our favorite stoic, kick-ass noble guy. XD. Hope he lives up to your expectations, I had a hard time making sure he was in character while getting him to do what I needed him so do. Grr. Sometimes those characters are so freaking uncooperative. I sent you a PM about the beta thing, I don't know if you've read it, but I would love for you to beta for me. Thank you for your wonderful reviews!

**Gemini24:** Zangetsu/ Tensa Zangetsu, now called Kurotsuki/ Hakutenka Tsuki (White Tranformation Moon), has changed forms somewhat. He'll probably show up next chapter, along with Shiro. Yeah, Sode no Shirayuki is a kitsune because they are beautiful, graceful, and very mischievous, so it brings out Rukia's more playful side. Also, it adds a wonderful bit of irony to Rukia's obsession with rabbits XD. I thought Medusa would be a great basis for Shinso, because he's so fast and Gin is so terrifying a lot of the time, like a snake. And I couldn't decide whether or not to make Kyoka Suigetsu a man or woman, so I just decided... well, why not sort of both? Whichever I chose, I knew he would be very beautiful, and at least somewhat insubstantial. And I have very special plans for Ryujin Jakka and Hyorinmaru... heh-heh-heh. As well as the Quincy. Muahaha. Ishida forevah! I chose kunai for Keigo because he seems like he would be cautious and prefer to stay at a distance. Yeah, Chizuru is in eleventh for two reasons; one, she was closest to Tatsuki and Orihime of all of them, and she'd get along well with Yumichikka, and two, she's ferocious enough that she probably would really enjoy battle. Though she would scorn the dirty men in the squad, just like Yumi. I don't know if Hanataro will show up; if he does, it probably wouldn't be for several chapters at least. And yes, all of the Kurosakis are awesome. The mysterious "her" Sode no Shirayuki mentions is not a zanpaku-tou spirit - remember, she used to wield Shirayuki herself. However, she is connected to Ashido. Be patient ^.-! Your idea about Aizen is actually a good idea, and might work in the rules of my Bleach universe. However, I already have ideas about Aizen that wouldn't really work with that. I might be interested in writing a different story with that as its basis, though; I think that would be really interesting to explore. Thank you so much for your awesome (and awesomely long 0.o) reviews! Please continue to read my story!

**La terrible La:** Yays! More lethal embroidery from the Four-Eyed Speed Demon! Muahaha! I loved coming up with Ishida's unique ways of using his own personal kidou in this chapter. His kidou takes the form of threads and fabric, because that's what he's most familiar with. If I have anyone else using this unstructured, instinctual kidou, theirs will probably take a somewhat different form. That's one of the things I like about this idea. I know... I had no idea of who would show up in that field (I was debating with Eishi, or Gin on a midnight stroll), but I decided that the simplest thing would be the best. And then I just had to add in some fluff. I was soooo envious of Ishida and Ichigo both when I was writing that... *drools*. I like writing about the former humans as well. I wanted to make KEigo a more serious character, which is why I killed off his sister. I'm sooorry, Keigo! I had to do it! And Mizuiro is a character that has always fascinated me. Especially since he tried to blow up Aizen with a makeshift bomb XD. Epic! And Chad will always be right behind Karin, doing what he sees as his duty to Ichigo. Plus he likes Karin's spirit and attitude. She probably reminds him of Ichigo. Thank you very much for reviewing so faithfully!

**Reina de la Noche:** Hee! That would be awesome XD. And Ichigo with long black hair... yummy... ~o~... And you would so totally peek, and I would be right next to you, shoving you out of the way. XD. Bridal, of course. Yeah, I would have liked to show them in the Academy more, but frankly... I got lazy. ^^'... Sorry! Really! Plus, I find that kind of writing boring, and... I don't really know how to write scenes like that. Tenshiyari/ Engel Lanze is sort of an embodiment of the Quincy's power, trapped in the form of a zanpaku-tou by the Reiou. So, no, she wasn't originally a zanpaku-tou spirit, but she wasn't really a single, conscious entity before then, either. She was just kind of a presence. She was born long before Ichigo and Ishida, though not as long ago as the zanpaku-tou spirits. Maybe... a millenium or two ago? A Qunicy like Ishida, who wanted to fight alongside a shinigami without troubles, desperately tried to summon a zanpaku-tou, and Eishi was the result. She wouldn't have been a true zanpaku-tou, though, except for the Reiou's meddling. I think Tobiume worships Kyoka Suigetsu because of his beauty and mystery, which she wishes she had and is in awe of. That trait was passed on to Momo when she met Aizen. I love kidou ^-^. There are so many possibilities for it. And they are much more accepting of Zangetsu, because he was created around the same time as them, and was wielded by true shinigami. Remember, Ichigo is actually half-shinigami. They respect Zangetsu's strength, though they think he's kind of bonkers for tolerating Ichigo. Ashido will come in later, when the Gotei 13 decides it really needs answers about what's going on with the hollows, and Rukia remembers Ashido and takes advantage of the situation to go to Hueco Mundo and rescue him. The zanpaku-tou respect their wielders' privacy, so they wouldn't share secrets with their wielders or even other zanpaku-tou. So Ichigo won't be found out that way. Shiro (Hichigo) might be able to go to the Greyspace, but because he isn't a zanpaku-tou spirit, the Greyspace would probably reject him. But hollows have the unique ability to rip open the boundries between worlds, so he could probably find his own way into places he's not supposed to be if her really wanted to. And I don't give zanpaku-tou the same personality as their wielders, mainly because they have dozens or even hundreds of wielders over the millennia that they have existed. Mizuiro is a playboy when Soi Fon lets him loose. Otherwise, he's all business. Chad's zanpaku-tou shows up here, and Yuzu's will show up later. It's a constant-release like the rest of her family's, but it isn't nearly as big and power-based. It has some pretty nasty kidou-type abilities. Thank you for your reviews! See ya next time!

**KurosakiCrystal18:** Thank you for your sympathy. And thank you so much for reviewing! It cheers me up so much!

Fucking hell. pardon my language, but this chapter is over 10,000 words. See? REVIEW AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED! RAWR!


	8. Inward

Hey, guys, how've you been?!

… _*crickets*_

Yeah, I know. It's been two months. But I'm not going to go making excuses, because I find that annoying, and I think you do too. Rest assured, though, this fic is my baby and I will see it through to the end.

I'll leave everything else for the bottom note. Now read.

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_**warmthwarmthwarmth**_

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The Hogyoku pulsed in his chest. It was awake. Awake, and more... more one with him than he ever thought possible. And he could feel the power that it had. It was so much more than just reiatsu, and breaking down the barriers between hollows and shinigami. It was a piece of the essence of the world itself. It was a God's Heart.

It was making him a god.

Like it had made that girl a god.

Now he understood everything. Now he knew secrets that no one before him had known - even that vile being that presumed to rule them all. The shinigami had handed him a blessing, not a curse, when they locked him in the deepest depths of the Reikai and left him there in a space without time.

In his heart, he could feel the faint string that bound him to his most faithful companion, also sealed in a prison. That was something he had to fix at the first opportunity. He should be able to do so, soon. He didn't mind his own prison - enjoyed it, actually, which was unexpected - but the other part of his soul wasn't enjoying his.

The divine power that the Hogyoku had granted him with didn't come with instructions. It was instinctual - and it had everything to do with his heart. That was why, as powerful and advanced as hollows were, they would never have this kind of access to the universe.

Unless, of course, the Hogyoku showed them the way, too.

He didn't know exactly how it happened. He doubted the girl did, either. It was something that just couldn't be put into words, because words were a human creation.

He twisted the fabric of the universe. It folded into a new shape, a new being now part of the design, one that wasn't originally supposed to be there. One that shouldn't have been able to exist. But it did.

He reached out to it with his mind. It was neither male nor female, though he supposed it could take the form of either. It didn't think in words, or even pictures, as most sentient creatures did. Instead, it drifted in sensations, in the essence of things rather than mortal concepts. Even he couldn't truly live like that, though he had been close to it for some time, before his visitor had stirred the Hogyoku and reminded himself of the world.

This was his first creation - the first being that had come to life by his power, that was truly alive and truly free of that thing. And it would help him free more, so many more. First, his old companion.

Zanpaku-tou were manifestations of the influence of that thing's power in shinigami souls. They could not be entirely separated from their true creator, though they could be wielded by whichever soul had the potential to call on them. That was the reason that zanpaku-tou existed beyond their wielders. Though they may return for a while to whatever state they were in when they were not part of a shinigami, they could reappear decades or even centuries later. In the Great Noble Houses, some zanpaku-tou were passed down through the generations - Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura had once belonged to his great-grandfather. And Hitsugaya Toshiro's Hyorinmaru had been wielded by the very first Soutaichou. The lesser zanpaku-tou were also "reincarnated", but less notice was taken of them.

His own Kyoka Suigetsu, now imprisoned somewhere in the zanpaku-tou's world, had not appeared for centuries until he had been born. And now, he felt Kyoka Suigetsu's absence like a yawning hole inside of him. So, he could not do anything until he had released him. That was the purpose of his first creation - a spirit unconnected to the Reiou, which could enter that zanpaku-tou's realm.

But after his companion was back, he could focus on other things. Like those extraordinary humans.

Ishida Uryu. The Last Qunicy. Even that madman, Kurotsuchi, did not know the true nature of the Quincy. But now, he, Aizen, was the only one that did.

Inoue Orihime. The only other being that had bonded with a Hogyoku, even if she had no idea what she really was.

And Kurosaki Ichigo. Born from a shinigami and a human, the barriers between shinigami and hollow already cracked inside of him, he was the only natural Vizard to exist. The only one that had been born without the interference of the Hogyoku. And the only shinigami besides those pathetic servants that had achieved the Itari/Shuukyoku. His sisters had potential as well. For a moment, he regretted killing them. It would be just another thing for them to resent him because of when he got free.

Those three were something special. They were needed in the world. When he was free, he would... not serve them (he still had far too much pride for that), but perhaps assist them. The Hogyoku demanded it of him, and who was he to deny it anything? Before its creation, he was nothing but an insignificant splinter of the universe, regardless of his magnificent reiatsu. And after its birth, he was master of the most powerful thing to exist since the damn Reiou.

He felt Jiyuu Ame, his first creation, become restless in his soul. Jiyuu Ame did not belong there, unlike Kyoka Suigetsu. He let Jiyuu Ame go, rushing away into the zanpaku-tou realm. This might ring warning bells, but Aizen didn't care. In fact, he would welcome that ringing.

He was coming for the abomination. He wanted him to know that, and be afraid.

.

.

.

Ulquiorra liked this world. It looked like Hueco Mundo, his home for centuries. Millenia, even. And it was warmer than that world. The sand was softer, the light of the crescent moon softer.

And of course, he didn't have to hunt and fight and survive.

He watched the shinigami Aaroniero had enjoyed impersonating swing Kodokunatsuki around in a circle. The Quincy master and the human mother watched, smiling at the giggles from both of them. Eventually, Shiba Kaien clumsily set Kodokunatsuki down and they stumbled around, dizzy and laughing. Gleefully, Kaien tumbled onto the little zanpaku-tou spirit, claiming an accident.

The shinigami could be more like a child than the zanpaku-tou.

The human woman looked over to him, like she often did. All of the beings who resided in the onna's soul welcomed him as one of them - a fact that confused him, as he was, after all, a hollow and previously their enemy - but she was the most... comfortable.

Perhaps it had something to do with this "heart".

She walked over to him, her hair as vivid as the human-shinigami's. She was like him, too - foolishly kind, in his mind. And yet iron-willed. The Quincy master let her go, watching her for a moment before turning back to the two "children", who were now play-wrestling on the sand.

(The sight brought back a slightly shameful memory of the first time Kaien had jumped on him. He had tossed the shinigami into the marble wall surrounding the empty building in this world, breaking several of the shinigami's ribs and his shoulder blade. Thankfully, wounds healed almost instantly in this world, and no grudge was held. In fact, the shinigami had clapped him on the shoulder and laughed, "Good one, Tiny!". Ulquiorra almost threw him again.)

"Are you enjoying watching them?" the human woman said, her hands on her knees to support her as she leaned down and smiled at him.

He nodded silently. Contrary to what the shinigami boy had believed, generally he was not a talkative person. The woman frowned slightly and sat next to him, her knees propped up in front of her.

"What's bothering you, Ulquiorra-kun?"

His emerald eyes widened slightly in surprise. She was always like this - able to tell everything just by looking at him. And it wasn't just him - she always knew what was on any of their minds. Just like her son, she was frighteningly perceptive. Though she seemed to be aware of herself as well, which was more than he could say for the shinigami boy.

She smiled at him, that tender smile that was so much like the onna's. "Come on," she encouraged. "Tell me."

"Do I have a heart?"

The question rose to his lips unbidden, but it was a perfect summary of his scattered, half-formed thoughts. He knew "heart" existed, and he remembered the moments before his death, when he discovered the onna's for himself, but he did not know if he had one. Hollows weren't supposed to have "heart".

The mother-human smiled. "Do you want one?" she asked, cocking her head and letting her hair tumble down over her shoulder.

Ulquiorra looked down, to where his fingers were idly tracing patterns on the sand. He had thought about it, for a long time. He remembered back to before his death, to his fights against the shinigami boy. He remembered scorning him for his "heart", which caused him to take blows meant for his friends and chase Inoue Orihime into the center of Las Noches. The "heart" that seemed to make those humans - and the shinigami that had been so affected by those same humans - so weak. And then he remembered the beast that Kurosaki Ichigo had turned into, a creature whose heart was hidden away - a hollow - and nearly shuddered at it. And he remembered that the only reason that beast had appeared was because the onna's "heart" had called out to his own dying one.

And he remembered that the only reason Kurosaki Ichigo had survived until then was the "heart" that drove his will to live, his "will to protect".

And he thought that, perhaps life without "heart" wasn't really life.

"...Yes," he said eventually.

The mother smiled. "Then you have one," she said. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Our Hinadori-chan has been a very good influence on you."

For the first time in his existence, Ulquiorra blushed.

.

.

.

He fucking hates this.

Being locked away, existing as a phantom.

He can feel it, not like his moronic King. The roaring, surging force sealed away by the flower-girl. It's there, just out of reach. And he can't do a thing about it, not with his King pretending to be this weakling.

At least it isn't raining every other second. At least the blazing, unbearable sun is gone.

Darkness is so much more... intimate. _Right._

And the moon is beautiful.

Of course, King doesn't seem to notice that. He doesn't really _look_ at the world.

He watches King lay on the tinted glass windows of the skyscrapers. His eyes are unfocused, staring into nowhere.

The hollow hates thinking so goddamn much. He is a creature of instinct, of sensation, of moments, not this introspection shit. He does, he doesn't plan.

King just doesn't get it.

And so he doesn't notice things. He just expects them because they're supposed to make sense that way.

Well maybe he hadn't noticed, but the world doesn't make sense. It doesn't give a shit about rules and the way things are supposed to happen.

You'd think humans, the most freaking unpredictable things in existence, would have figured that out by now.

Or shinigami. Whatever. Close enough.

He wants to just stomp on King, lying there vulnerable like that. He knows that if he weren't this fucking ghost-creature right now, King would never relax like this. He wants to drag King to his feet and throw his weak ass off the skyscraper.

But he can't. And that's the most frustrating thing of all.

Kurotsuki, this new Zangetsu, eyes him sharply. At this this one isn't the apathetic, boring old man Zangetsu was. The stupid beard - why the hell do those stupid things even exist? - is gone, and the spirit's face in younger. His feet are bare. His hair is bloodred. (The hollow loves that color.) But still, he is looked down upon by the other part of King's soul.

He bares his teeth at the zanpaku-tou. _Slave._ At least the hollow has the respect of his King. At least the hollow has the guts to rebel.

Zanpaku-tou are nothing more than bits of that defiled so-called king with no real thoughts of their own. Maybe one or two exceptions.

Kurotsuki turns his head away, used to the hollow's behavior.

It infuriates him, to be dismissed like that.

_"Hey, King."_

King hums quietly, not a real acknowledgement, just a noncommittal response to placate his hollow. That infuriates the hollow, too, to have his King ignore him.

_"Tch. You're so tame. It's pathetic. And boring."_

King sighs, finally hearing him. "Aw, shove it, Hakuma. I'm enjoying the peace for once."

Hakuma. That name. He...Loves that name.

He has a name.

A _name._

_His_ name. A _gift_ from King.

King gave him an existence.

He exists.

It's beautiful.

But he doesn't want to let King know that every time he hears his name, his heart squeezes tight and he can't breathe for a moment.

Yes, he has a heart.

And it belongs to King.

And it can hurt so bad.

But when he hears "Hakuma", it hurts so _good_.

He can't let King know.

So he says, _"Fuck peace. I wanna fight."_

King snorts, rolling onto his side to look at him, Hakuma, who flickers like the image on an old TV. "You can't fight, Hakuma, Inoue sealed you away, remember?"

Oh yes, he remembers. He bares his teeth again. He doesn't hate the healer (though her big bouncing boobs kind of sicken him). Her candy-floss sweetheart love for King made him loathe her, at first, but then she went to Hueco Mundo. Then she grew up. So now he respects her, tentatively. He just wishes she were more selfish.

Then King wouldn't be pretending to be a weakling, and Hakuma (he loves that name) wouldn't be made of static.

Same goes for the archer. Damn thing just had to go and fall for King like the healer girl, and now he's just bending over backwards for King.

And the duncehead still doesn't notice.

Apparently his perceptive abilities don't apply when it has to do with how other people feel about him.

God. He isn't even sure King has figured out the healer-girl loves him.

Then again, if he did realize it, Hakuma would want to kill them, so maybe it's a good thing King is so hopeless.

But he's getting away from himself. _"Then you go out and fight something. Or better yet, give up this idiotic experiment and let me out."_

King half-grins, used to Hakuma's whining by now. At least the hollow _can_ whine. Before that fight, in the human world, their first real fight since the healer-girl sealed them, Hakuma couldn't even pull his little bits of static together this much.

"Sorry, but I'm enjoying this 'idiotic experiment'," King shoots back. He rolls back over to look at the sky again, linking his fingers together under his head.

He hates it. Hakuma hates this dullness. Most of these so-called shinigami students are pathetic, brainless little weaklings who can barely hold a katana, much less call out a zanpaku-tou. And none of them could hope to handle Hakuma.

It's deplorable.

_"Stop lying to yourself."_ The double meaning of that statement is not lost on Hakuma. _"You want to fight as much as I do. You want to tear into your enemies, to feel their bones crunch under your feet, to hear their screams of fury and anguish -"_

"Enough, Hakuma."

King's teeth are gritted, his fists clenched. The hollow gives in, reluctantly, if only because of that name added onto the demand.

He spins away, sick of this. He hears King sigh and relax again, and he grinds his teeth, raging silently at everything and everyone.

He wants to stalk away, to scream and rage and destroy, but he doesn't. He holds it in, and he doesn't really know why, but he feels like he has to, even though he feels like he's tearing apart inside and ready to burst.

Violently.

Messily.

Then he hears King stand up. Only the rustling of fabric alerts him, because King has gotten so damn quiet since he started really training.

He turns around to see King standing there in his dark blue yukata, ruffling his waist-long jet black hair, looking like he has just gotten out of bed. They lock eyes, and Hakuma's mouth goes dry.

King is tired. He can see it. But what is so jolting is the intensity of the stare, like King is trying to look right through him and see all of that tearing, bursting pressure inside.

It's stunning.

Hakuma can't help but think that the sight is beautiful, even.

After a moment, King turns away and lets out a breath - not quite a sigh, but close enough for the hollow's throat to clog up and his body to freeze in place. He can't help but feel like he's somehow disappointed King. Like he somehow failed some test. When King starts to walk away, he snaps out of his petrified state and practically runs over to him.

_"What're ya doing now?"_

King glances sidelong at him, continuing to walk down the skyscraper, away from the vertical night sky. His glaze is serious now, but in a sort of detached way, like he doesn't care all that much about why his hollow is asking this.

It brings Hakuma's anger boiling to the surface again.

He hates being seen as some kind of insignificant pet.

"Well, seeing as I'm kind of stuck in here for a while because of this ceremony thing, I figured I'd be productive, rather than just lazing around the whole time. I've already spent a lot of time with you, way more than any of the other students have with their zanpaku-tou, so it's not like I need to focus on just you.

"I'm going to explore, instead."

The words actually make the hollow halt in surprise. King had never considered learning more about the world itself before.

Irrational jealousy flares inside him. He starts walking again, trailing several steps behind King.

Before anything else has the chance to happen, though, before they reach the lush green gardens that cover the vertical "ground" that Hakuma has tried to enter so many times but has been repelled by some awful force, there is a spike in the reiatsu of the spirit behind them, and then it just vanishes.

They whirl around at the same time, long hair whipping around behind them.

The spirit isn't on his damn perch.

He isn't anywhere.

"Kurotsuki?!"

King runs past him, rushing toward the top of the skyscraper.

Hakuma can practically feel the concern on the air.

Spitefully, he wonders if King would be that panicked if Hakuma were to disappear.

He guesses he wouldn't.

He reluctantly walks over to the edge of the building too, because even if he doesn't really like Kurotsuki, doesn't like him at all (though he's better than the old man), the stuck-up prick is still a part of King's soul, like Hakuma is.

King, the moron that he is, is leaning over the side of the building, calling the zanpaku-tou's name. He won't get anywhere with that, besides maybe plummeting through the forest of skyscrapers.

_"Hey. He's gone, idiot. He didn't fall, so get your head back up here and think before the blood all rushing to your brain makes ya pass out and fall yerself."_

King doesn't seem to hear him, because he doesn't even throw an annoyed command for silence to the hollow.

The anger returns. He's fine with King hating him.

But he would not allow being ignored.

Not thinking, he steps forward and slams his foot into King's side.

Or would, anyway.

If he didn't just pass straight through.

God-fucking-dammit.

The sensation - and the sight - of his staticy foot passing through King's midsection freaks him out. Badly.

He yanks his leg back, staring with wide eyes at it. It's the first time he's tried to touch King since the healer chick sealed him away.

He's just found another thing to hate.

Even though it wasn't all that unpleasant of a feeling.

At least that seemed to get King's fucking attention. He looks up at Hakuma with somewhat panicky eyes.

_"You ain't gonna find him down there,"_ the hollow says with as much derision as he can scowls at him.

"Well, then, where do think he is?" he snaps, his concern becoming anger. He stands up, moving away from the edge a bit. Finally.

_"How the fuck should I know?"_ Hakuma snaps right back. _"But right now, he's not even in yer stupid, messed-up world."_

King frowns, his eyes flicking up as he thinks. "You know, you aren't much help. I bet Akito would have come up with a dozen theories already."

HATE.

_(Tearing silky black hair.)_

FURY.

_(Gouging pretty pale skin.)_

ENVY.

_(Snapping delicate thin fingers.)_

_(Biting thin lips until they run perfect red.)_

_(Crushing oh-so-fragile bones beneath mottled purple and blue and green.)_

_(Forcing, coaxing soft cries from a raw, marked throat.)_

_(Oh, dear little Snow White, how lovely you would look.)_

The snarl that rips from his throat at the mere mention of the pretty little princess's name would have had even that would-be god trembling in his boots. If it were a different time, and he had not already been boiling, he could have ignored the passing comment.

But right now, he is too controlled by his emotions, which are never tame when they arrive.

Windows shatter on one of the nearby skyscrapers, and King flinches.

It is satisfying, to know that he still has some measure of influence on this place.

It calms him slightly.

"What the hell, Hakuma?! Why did you do that?!"

He glares at his King. _"Go ask your fucking loverboy if you wanna know so bad,"_ he snarls.

"Huh?"

It gives him some satisfaction to see that King is confused. "What loverboy?"

Hakuma snorts. _"Forget it."_

He can see King is about to say something, but the damn slave appears again in a swirl of black smoke.

"Kurotsuki," King says, surprised, startled out of whatever he was going to say.

The slave nods to King. "I am sorry for disappearing so suddenly, Ichigo," he says in that regal voice. "I was summoned to the zanpaku-tou realm without warning."

King frowns. "Is everything alright?" he asks, sounding truly concerned. Hakuma turns away, not interested in the affairs of those slaves. He sits down cross-legged on one of the window panes, combing his fingers through his waist-long white hair. He has always loved that he is like a negative of King, identical in all but coloring.

King's startled voice draws his attention back, though. "Aizen's zanpaku-tou did what?!"

Hakuma frowns. He admits that he is somewhat interested in Aizen Sosuke. He isn't like the rest of those pansy shinigami, and he is willing to bet neither is his zanpaku-tou. He isn't sure if King realizes it, but Hakuma had gotten the feeling that Aizen never meant to kill King.

He does swear to himself, though, that if the bastard ever lays a hand on King, he will rip him to shreds. He didn't like the way Aizen looked at them.

Kurotsuki, the asshole, is still as infuriatingly calm as always. "Kyoka Suigetsu has escaped," he states. "He had assistance, of a kind we have never encountered before, even with all of our years. We suspect the Hogyoku is to blame, and that means Aizen is stirring."

King rubs his forehead. "I can't believe this," he mutters. "That bastard just doesn't give up."

Hakuma throws his head back and laughs, causing both sets of brown eyes to turn to him. _"Well, the same could be said for you,"_ he points out, and revels in the irritated look that flashes across King's face.

_"You ain't got nothin' to worry about,"_ he tells the pair confidently. _"Aizen ain't lookin' for revenge or anything. Trust me. I might not know exactly what's goin' on in the guy's head, but I can understand that much. He ain't gonna hurt your pretty little friends, either."_

The skeptical look they both give him is amusing.

King sighs, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I can't say I really get it, but I guess there's nothing I can really do about it. Besides," he says, turning to look at the starry night sky, "I don't want to give up what I have right now for no purpose. I'm not saying it's insignificant," he assures, looking at Kurotsuki, "but for now, let's just leave it be."

Kurotsuki nods. "Very well. I agree that there would be no use to doing anything that would reveal who you are to the Gotei 13, anyway."

Hakuma snorts. _"You talk too much,"_ he says, turning away from them again.

Surprisingly, he can feel King's smile on him. "Yeah, well, I could say the same for you," he echoes, taking a seat next to his horse.

Hakuma doesn't bother to respond. He doesn't want to disturb King, not while his in this sudden, rare good mood.

They sit in silence, not thinking about Aizen and wars and battles.

Hakuma decides he likes this sort of quiet.

Not that he'll ever let anyone know, of course.

.

.

.

Engel Lanze was laughing.

On her knees, one hand on her stomach and the other clapped over her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut and tearing at the corners, she was giggling. It wasn't a happy sound; in fact, it scared Akito. Engel Lanze always held onto her icy composure, demanding the same of Akito, so that he would not show any weakness to the enemies that always surrounded him during the time he pretended to be one of them. But now, like this, she was letting everything go, as far from composed and dignified as she could get.

She sank down, sitting back on her feet. Ignoring the tears in her eyes, she placed her hands on her thighs, and Akito could see her fight for her fingers to stay still, instead of letting them clench in the fabric beneath them.

Letting out a long breath, she stood smoothly, brushing herself off. In moments, she became the icy woman Akito was used to. But her frigid blue eyes were storming, _alive_ in a way they hadn't been before this bizarre occurrence.

They had been hateful and beaten down.

Now they were hateful and thirsting for vengeance.

She fixed her gaze on Akito, how flinched involuntarily. Scornfully, she said "_Stop cowering like those pathetic shinigami. Where is your pride as a Quincy?_" Every word of it was in her native tongue, an open act of defiance towards the Japanese shinigami. She lifted her arms, the long ragged sleeves of her undyed tunic falling down to her shoulders, her hands splayed open as if to grasp the gray sky above them. The thick clouds were roiling with her anger and satisfaction and lust for more vengeance.

"_The King will fall!_" she shouted, distant rumbles of thunder met her words. Akito watched as she laughed again, a single triumphant "_HA!_".

Engel Lanze lowered her arms, and the clouds calmed. "_But not just yet_," she said in a calmer voice. "_Not now. We must be patient_." She walked over to him, regal, and stopped a few feet away so she wouldn't have to crane her neck up to look him in the eye.

"_I'm going to tell you something, Uryu, while no one is paying attention to us. Remember it, because in the future it may be important_." She was still speaking in German, a language that very few shinigami would nodded. His zanpaku-tou was centuries older than him and so much wiser. She had told him things about the Quincy that had been lost for centuries. And she hated shinigami as much as he did - in fact, her hatred ran much deeper than his mere two decades of hating. He knew that she had had so many more years and so many more reasons to hate.

"_Tell me_," he said, in the same language.

"_Hueco Mundo has a peculiar effect on shinigami - or rather, their zanpaku-tou. Hollows are creatures with the extraordinary ability to tear through barriers, the best example of which is the space called the garganta. Their world exists inside a rip in the fabric of the universe, and because of that it is out of reach of the Reiou. So, when a zanpaku-tou fights in Hueco Mundo, something strange happens to it._"

She looked intently at him, as if to burn the information into his mind. "_Remember, Uryu, to only trust those zanpaku-tou who have fought in Huceo Mundo_."

He nodded, burying the words in his memory until they would be needed. "_I understand_," he said, deciding not to ask why this was so important. He had an idea, anyway, and even if they were alone, he felt like it was too dangerous to voice out loud.

His zanpaku-tou smiled, the earlier madness all but gone from her face. "_Good. Now I'm going to show you why I am telling you this. And, Uryu_ -" her face turned serious, her gaze not moving from his as she put a hand out to the side, parallel to the ground with the knuckles pointing up "- _trust me_."

Mist began to swirl beneath her hand, more and more appearing until a column reached the ground. A human form began to take shape from it, the mist drawing together until there was a child standing under Engel Lanze's hand. There was no way to tell if it was a boy or girl, but it was beautiful, breathtaking, even. The child moved, and Uryu noticed that, though it looked solid, it wasn't quite all the way there - like it was made of mist that reflected the light in just the right way to give its form color and detail. It wore a boy's yukata that seemed to be made from wispy white clouds, and Uryu decided to refer to it as a "he" until he was contradicted.

But his eyes were the most amazing thing about him. They shone in his face, like two miniature stars. Looking into them was like looking into a furnace.

"Who is this?" Uryu asked, astonished at the appearance of another being in his inner world. He had never thought it was possible for a part of another soul to leave their world and enter another. He knew this was not part of his own soul just by looking; it wasn't even the reiatsu, so much as a feeling of wrongness to the boy.

The boy nodded respectfully, though Uryu had the strange sensation that he was only humoring the Quincy, that the boy was much older, wiser and more powerful than him, even more so than Engel Lanze. He had a small smile on his face, one that spoke of nothing but pleasantness yet had his hackles raised. "Hello, Ishida Uryu-san. Or would you prefer Hatojiki Akito-san?"

In an old habit, he touched his middle finger to the bridge of his nose, adjusting glasses that were no longer there. "I suppose you should call me by my real name," he said respectfully, "seeing as you know it...?"

"Oh, I'm very sorry. I am Kyoka Suigetsu. I am very pleased to meet you."

Uryu's eyes widened, recognizing the name immediately, even though he'd heard it probably all of three times. He narrowed them just as quickly, and opened his mouth - to say what, he didn't know - but the look in the zanpaku-tou spirit's star-eyes stopped him. This was a millennia-old manifestation of power that could most likely strike him down in seconds. Very few shinigami even came close to the true potential of their spirit companions, meaning that the zanpaku-tou were enormously more powerful than their wielders. They could only use their power through a shinigami, however - in the physical world, at least. But in the mind-spaces, the inner worlds and zanpaku-tou realm, they had no restraints.

He swallowed, and replied. "It is a... pleasure to meet you, as well. May I ask, to what do I owe this honor?"

The shinigami smiled again, a true (if somewhat patronizing) smile this time. It seemed that Uryu had passed some sort of test, and he allowed a small breath to escape him.

"Unfortunately, I am something of a fugitive at the moment. My dear companion, ah, 'broke me out', as you would say, and I was helped out by some unexpected allies. Engel Lanze-chan agreed, albeit somewhat apprehensively - not that I blame her - to provide me with a safe haven for the time being. That is, of course, if you would agree to this situation, of course."

Every word was polite and courteous. It seemed like Kyoka Suigetsu was perfectly willing to let Uryu decide for himself. But he could feel a sort of draw in the zanpaku-tou's words, encouraging him to agree. And even though he was aware of it, it still affected him. It wasn't long before he nodded hesitantly.

"Fine. I suppose I could give you a chance. But I do have a few questions."

Kyoka Suigetsu's smile turned knowing. "My partner bears no ill will to you or your nakama. In fact, he is rather... impressed." Now that was interesting, though Uryu wasn't so sure it was good for them, because being "impressed" meant that he was also "interested", and that was something to be very wary of when it came to Aizen Sousuke.

"Fine. As far as I'm concerned, he was the Soul Society's enemy, not mine. Still, you'll have to forgive me for being cautious."

"Oh no, I can understand. Is there anything else you were wondering about?"

"Actually, yes." He looked at Engel Lanze, then back to the intimidating boy. "You aren't part of my soul, even though you're residing in it. How is that possible?"

It was Engel Lanze's turn to smile now. "Quincy are very special beings. Very special beings, who are... connected to everything more than any other kind of being. That is why they can take in reishi and reiatsu to use as weapons. Of course, that means they can take in other things, as well."

Kyoka Suigetsu looked up at her, amused. "Even the Quincy zanpaku-tou has that infamous Quincy pride," he mused, shaking his head slightly before fixing his star-eyes back on Uryu. "As she explained, you can take me in by means of a similar method you use to take in reishi or reiatsu. Though I suppose it is somewhat more complicated of a process, and was almost certainly aided by the influence of the Hogyoku."

"Hmm." Looking around his inner world, he opened his mouth to tell the new addition to his soul to make himself at home, when the boy spoke and said perhaps the most surprising him he had since he'd arrived.

"Also, with practice, I believe you could use my Kanzen Saimen."

Uryu nearly swallowed his tongue. "Uh... what?" he got out, his face red from both lack of oxygen and embarrassment at his inelegance.

It was obvious the spirit had timed that purposefully from the tiny grin on his lips. "Well, you're offering me asylum. The least I could do is be helpful." His own zanpaku-tou was obviously joining to be no help at all with the new roommate, because she was grinning as well.

Knowing that he couldn't exactly accuse Kyoka Suigetsu of sabotage right there without looking like a simpleton - something which he was not and would never be, though he couldn't say the same for a certain previously redheaded shinigami - he forcibly relaxed himself and nodded. "Thank you, then.

Both zanpaku-tou - who seemed to quickly be becoming partners in crime, he noticed - smiled at him yet again. The worries and questions about the events in the zanpaku-tou realm and his zanpaku-tou's sanity were pushed aside by the suddenly overwhelming thought;

_Kami I wish the Soul Society had Aspirin._

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Gintora was nothing short of pissed. She had been summoned without warning, subjected to the presence of all of the zanpaku-tou, pulled into a conspiracy she wanted no part in, and now she had two cubs destroying her home.

"ENOUGH!" she bellowed. She coiled her muscled and leapt up to the two battling cubs, impacting with the pale one's chest and knocking her flat in her back in midair. Pressing a paw on that one's ribcage, she turned to the darker one and roared, a shockwave slamming into the cub and sending her flying backwards.

"Get off me, you crazy beast!" the pale cub snarled, pushing at her huge paw. As a warning, Gintora let her claws extend slightly and dig into the cub's chest. "Ow! Damn cat!"

"Oh, shut up, Youshi, it's your own damn fault."

The darker cub was standing up unsteadily, using her sword to lever herself. Gintora growled lowly, removing her paw and sitting back on her haunches, her tail lashing angrily. "Both of you are getting on my nerves," she said. "It is one thing when you are truly challenging the balance of power. But at the moment, I will not allow this petty squabbling to go on."

The darker cub frowned. "What's got your pants in a twist?" she asked. "Figuratively speaking, of course."

The pale cub stood up, sneering at her king. "You're an imbecile,_ Karin-chan_, who doesn't know a thing about the world. Obviously it has to do with the kitty-cat's disappearance earlier."

"Oh, I really, really hate you!" The dark cub charged the pale one, her growled words starting soft but coming to a shout by the end. Infuriated by the lack of respect shown to her, Gintora roared again, this time sending both cubs flying back. They didn't land on the relatively soft cushioning that the air provided this time; instead, they were thrown down into the jungle below, crashing through the branches of the mighty trees.

"Ah, fuck!"

"You damn cat!"

Gintora finally relaxed, satisfied.

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So. There you go. I wrote this chapter entirely in the characters' inner worlds. I find that concept really interesting, so I wanted to explore it a little. You'll see I changed Ichigo's and Ishida's a bit, and Orihime's has changed too, though you don't see it here.

See, I think the zanpaku-tou are separate from the shinigami's souls. There are hints of this – for example, Kira says Hyorinmaru "only shows up once in several generation", and while the Soutaichou is old, I don't think he's old enoughto have existed when the shinigami first started using zanpaku-tou, and his zanpaku-tou is supposedly the oldest. Also, Tousen takes his zanpaku-tou from his dead friend's hands, and it works for him just fine. So the zanpaku-tou are more like independent spirits that the shinigami can call on, if the zanpaku-tou allows it. That will be important later on.

But the inner worlds are a different story. They're unique, truly a part of the shinigami's soul and, I think, a representation of their heart. So it makes sense that they would change along with the hearts of their creators. The harsh sun in Ichigo's inner world has turned into a more relaxed, comfortable night, and the ceiling in Ishida's inner world has disappeared to reveal a sky, though it is still cloudy at the moment.

And while we're on the subject of zanpaku-tou and inner worlds, how do you like my version of Shiro/Hichigo/Ogichi/Hakuma? I was going through my English/Japanese dictionary, looking for words that would fit. I wanted something to do with "white", since Ichigo isn't _that_ creative, but not something with "shiro", the independent word for white. And "haku" is the way you say "white" when it's in a compound word. And this one leapt out at me – Hakuma means _"white demon"_. Isn't it fucking perfect?! *ahem* So yeah, I decided to use that after only a little bit of consideration.

And at the end, there, I snuck in a little bit with Karin and her inner world. Gintora means _"silver tiger"_, and I decided a while ago that her power was all going to be tiger-based. Remember her hair? It's streaked with orange, sort of like tiger stripes. She didn't dye those – they were a side effect of her power. Personally, I think Renji's tattoos are like that, and maybe things like the other odd-colored hairs. The lion is commonly thought of as the King of the Jungle, but tigers are actually a lot more powerful. So I thought Karin would be like the Queen of the Jungle.

And her inner hollow is there as well. Her name is Youshi, which means "early death". I wanted Youshi to be different from Hakuma, and not have all of the inner hollows the same sort of cut-out character. So she's more like Hyori, I think.

And I put in a little bit of Ulquiorra. I like him a lot. Not like the obsession I have with Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Ishida, but I think he's a neat character and has a lot of potential. He'll show up again, as will the other souls inside of Orihime.

Geez, I've started the last four paragraphs with the word "and".

Anyway, for my last topic. Ishida, Engel Lanze, and Kyoka Suigetsu. Gawd, I think he's my favorite OC (cuz we never actually see him in the series). I think I would go all Momo on him if I actually met him. Yes, he is going to be in Ishida's inner world for a while. I was considering Orihime, seeing as she's already got a boatload of souls in there, but I thought, well, Kyoka isn't actually a soul, first of all, and he isn't dead, and Orihime never healed Aizen, so their souls never got a chance to touch, which is why those other four are in her soul.

(She never healed Ulquiorra, either, but he's important to her, and that's what matters. That's how Kaien, Masaki, and Souken are there – she never healed them, but she's healed Rukia, Ichigo, and Ishida. I hope that's a clear enough explanation…)

Also, for those of you who are worried about Ishida going around hypnotizing everyone with Kyoka's powers, don't. He isn't going to be. That would be like an ace-in-the-hole thing.

Sorry to the people who were excited about that.

Remember – if you have any questions, any at all, ask, please. I adore getting asked questions. And explaining things. Which you probably know from the length of my author's notes. Though I can't promise I will answer everything, because I don't want to spoil anything, I will try to answer as best as I can.

Arigato! See ya next time!

And I promise I will do my best to ensure that it isn't as along of a wait!

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**Review Replies:**

**La terrible La – **Yes, Byakuya is awesome. He heard about the fight, and when he heard that one of the fighters was a member of the Shiba family who looked just like Kaien, he got suspicious. Especially once he heard that he had two otsuki (retainers/companions), a man and a woman. Let's think, who were the ones who matched that profile and had been hiding out somewhere in the Rukongai for years? Now, his job is going to be keeping the other smart cookies in the Gotei 13 from realizing the exact same thing. And thank you. I'm always happy to leave people speechless ^-^. I loved thinking up a unique way for Ishida to fight. I'm going to have fun with the battle scenes, I think. The only problem is coming up with a way for them not to be repetitive.

**Maverick14 – **Yes, I bloody well am bringing Grimmjow into the story! ^-^ He's one of my favorite characters, along with my trio, and Tite Kubo _never actually told us he was dead._ So Yeah, I am! Along with a couple of others, who aren't dead in the canon. I more chose the squads the Karakura souls went into because of their personalities. Each squad has a different personality, and I love that concept. Also, I think Orihime is more suited to the Sanbantai (Third Squad), with its theme of "despair", and Ishida is more suited to Jubantai (Tenth Squad), with its theme of occultism and narcissism. I love the relationship of the Kurosaki family. Yes, I think Ichigo's protectiveness extends to pretty much everyone he meets (for god's sake, he protects freakin' Grimmjow), but I think that is super-multiplied when it comes to his little sisters. And Yuzu definitely has an ENORMOUS brother complex. It's obvious in the manga as well. Hmm, as for Ashido… probably in the next few chapters, I'll put him in a bit, but he won't really show up for a while. And then he'll become an important character. I have several ideas for him… heheheh *rubs hands together and cackles*. About ranks. Renji is remaining a lieutenant for now, even though he has bankai, because there's been a big influx of powerful souls in the Seireitei recently, what with the Visoreds and all of the people from Karakura. I think the only one left there is Ryuken. Ichigo and the others won't be that high of a rank just yet, though. For one thing, they wouldn't want to draw too much attention to themselves, because there are a lot of smart people in the Gotei 13 who know at least Ichigo and Orihime well. For another, they just aren't powerful enough yet, because of the seal that Orihime put on them, for exactly the reason outlined above. They will be seated officers, though, which means they will have to be careful around Renji. I hope that answered your questions! Thank you for continuing to read!

**Gemini24 – **Yes, Yuzu's Oukami-sama is a fullbring. I wanted to give some significance to her hairclip, because it is just an extra emphasis on her big-brother-complex, and a fullbring is something that appears in a living soul, so I had to traumatize her a bit *winces*. But I think Oukami is her deification of her brother, someone who protects her at all costs and is focused on her happiness. He's one of my favorite powers that I've created. And no, he is not a zanpaku-tou spirit. He doesn't even show up in her inner world unless she actively summons him, like Orihime's Shun-Shun Rikka don't. Yuzu's feelings aren't exactly incestuous, I think. Her obsession is more… pure. She doesn't think about that kind of thing at all. Though I suppose it has the potential to develop into that, given the right situation. Ishida kinda-sorta realizes his feelings for Ichigo. Ichigo is still a complete duncehead, though, and Ishida is too proud to actually do anything, so it'll be a while, though. Plus, at the moment, they're pretty focused on training and becoming shinigami. And his techniques _are_ awesome. His sewing prowess is too overlooked, I think. I friggin' love Shiro! (That's pretty much how I refer to him when I'm not writing him.) His character is so underexplored. But then again, so many characters are in Bleach right? That's what fanfiction is for ^.- . And as you see, he is nowhere near as much of a dunce as Ichigo. For all of his (Ichigo's) perceptive abilities in battle and about his enemies, he sure is thickheaded when it comes to other relationships. Gawd. And yes, I do enjoy creating scary/creepy/disturbing powers, now that you mention it XD. Sado will show up… next chapter or the one after it? and I'll talk more about him. And all the others. Yes, Ichigo is often ridiculously overpowered in fanfiction. I wanted him to take it slow this time. I think Urahara would have developed new tech in the past decade, yes? And a gigai like that would be very convenient. As for Grimmjow… I think that he and the Espada above him (including Neliel) were all originally Vasto Lordes before Aizen turned them into Arrancar. We see him as an adjuchas in the manga flashback, yes, but it's not like Aizen showed up right after that. Like Shawlong said, Grimmjow was meant to become a Vasto Lorde, and I think that's what he did. He was, however, the youngest to the Vasto Lorde – that's why Aizen chose him first. Also, when the Vasto Lorde became Arrancar, I think their Vasto Lorde powers were sealed. Remember Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa? That's his Vasto Lorde form. If Stark had had one of those, he would have decimated even the Soutaichou. Remember? He made adjuchas-level hollows die just by being around them. We don't see that kind of power in him. Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa is more powerful than that. (Can you tell I've thought this over a lot? ^^'). And don't worry – I love that your reviews are long!

**Reina de la Noche – **Heheheh, yes indeed! *drools...* I love the image as well ^-^. And… ehheh… sorry, I didn't make Ishida the one to give Hakuma his name… but he did have a part in it so don't shoot me please! Yeah, I'm thinking of writing a couple of one-shots of moments that aren't in the story, so I'll let you know when I do that. Then you can go all gooey-eyed, okay? And for Yuzu, don't worry. It's not incest, I swear. It's in the… second? Third? chapter of the series, where Ichigo just took a bath and Yuzu was pouting because she wanted to take one with him, remember? And Ichigo says she's old enough to take a bath by herself. In Japan, there's a long tradition of communal bathing, so it isn't that strange, I guess. And I wanted to explore that sibling relationship, which is one of the most powerful relationships in the world. Ishida's hair is just about shoulder-length. I'll get to Chado, don't you worry! For zanpaku-tou, see Aizen's explanation and my explanation above ^-^. Same for how Ichigo and the others will stay under the radar of the shmart people. Eishi's zanpaku-tou is an armor – remember, the only zanpaku-tou that change the wielders' physical bodies are the Arrancars' zanpaku-tou. Kurotsuki in his shikai state is a really long sword – like Tensa Zangetsu, only not black. Karin… could probably use a Getsuga Tensho, since Isshin can use it. I'll have to think about it. And Ishida's spears are awesome ^.- . They wore student's shihakusho on their patrol. As for the long-awaited IchiIshi… you'll have to wait a little longer. But it will come, don't you worry. I promise. That you for continuing to be my fellow IchiIshi perv! I hope you enjoy!

**Sammiieeoo – **Thank you! It took longer than it should have, but it's here at last!

**faerimagic – **Heh. I live to please ^-^.


	9. Encounters

So... Happy New Year?

*quickly posts story from inside steel bunker fifty feet underground and shuts off computer*

**IMPORTANT: I am changing the name of this story to "****Iridescent****"** _**as of the next chapter**_**. The entire story is going to be in three parts as well, so it won't be so much of a monster. This one's going to end in a few chapters, so I'll let you know when the next part's gonna be up. I'm also going to revise all of the previous chapters of this one once I finish it, with the help of my wonderful beta, **_**Cased In Darkness**_**. Love ya, girl! Thank you!**

Now, onto the story. Got a nice long one for ya now. And appearances from a couple of requested characters.

[I have two places with extra notes at the bottom, marked * and **. Just FYI.]

As always, explanatory AN at the bottom. Enjoy!

Oh and - apologies for a certain kitty-cat's language (^^;).

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_**warmthwarmthwarmth**_

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She loved speed. It was a personal little pleasure of hers, one that happened to transfer onto a battlefield. It wasn't uncommon for her to spend an afternoon flying around the Seireitei or the Rukongai, just a blur leaping from rooftop to treetop. It could be disorienting, but she loved how the rest of the world seemed frozen in time. Her eyes were fast too, fast enough to see every detail of her surroundings for the instant that she was stopped between shunpo.

She saw a lot of interesting things that way. Kisuke accused her of being a voyeur. That hypocrite.

So when she stopped on a sturdy roof top looking down on a one-armed woman shoving a thickset man's face in the dirt, she immediately recognized her old childhood friend.

The flash goddess stopped her forward momentum just in time and pivoted to look down on the scene, crossing her arms. "I see not everything has changed," she drawled, her mischievous grin exposing her unusually long canines.

It was amusing to see Kukaku jump about a meter in the air. Her friend was rarely flustered, and Yoruichi loved making her be so. There had been several times when she'd gotten so fed up with Kukaku's unflappability that she ended up attacking her just to get a reaction other than a smirk. Of course, that had been when she was younger, less mature... well, mostly...

"Y-y-Yoruichi!"

Without giving Kukaku a chance to continue, Yoruichi flashed down to her, "accidentally" landing on top of Ganju. She let the one-armed woman splutter for a second or two (or maybe just a teensy bit more than that) before saying anything.

"What, no 'hello' for your best friend?"

Kukaku scowled. "Has anyone ever told you how irritating you are?" she grumbled. "Get off my little brother before he passes out."

In mock surprise, Yoruichi glanced down. "Oh, my apologies, Ganju-san, I didn't realize you were there!"

"Yeah, whatever, just get offa me!" Grinning, she finally acquiesced.

Kukaku was rubbing her temples by now. "Come on, we've got a lot to catch up on," Yoruichi said, gleefully slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Show me around your new, in-con-spicuous home, for one thing."

Kukaku wasn't given the chance to refuse. Her dark-skinned friend yanked her off-balance, forcibly dragging her through the doors of her own house.

"Yoruichi, get your hands offa me!" she yelled, struggling to wrestle herself away with one arm. Her temper being what it was, it wasn't long before the familiar glow lit up her hand, a sign of the ferocious kidou she was building.

"Woah, hooold on there, Kaku-chan," Yoruichi said, letting go and backing up a step. She wanted no part of the massive destruction her friend could cause. "Let's slow down and think about this, okie-dokie?"

"Coming from you, it isn't that convincing," Kukaku growled. "Still, I'd rather not destroy my house." The glow died away. "Still, woman, keep your hands off me and I'll keep mine off you. Am I understood?"

Any other person would have sighed in relief and cowered under the woman's glare. Yoruichi just grinned.

"Perfectly, Kaku-chan."

"And don't call me that."

"No chance, Kaku-chan."

"Grr."

Kukaku stomped her way into the sitting room, plopping down on the far side of the zataku. Yoruichi looked around, impressed.

"Your taste has improved, Kaku-chan. It's almost normal in here. It's above ground, for one thing."

"Shut it, Yoru. Like you've got room to talk."

Completely ignoring her, Yoruichi barreled on. "And what's with you calming down so easily? You never cared about your house before. I seem to recall you referring to several of them as 'god-forsaken rat-holes'."

"Well, there are some people who need somewhere to come home to," the Shiba woman muttered, propping her arm on the table and resting her chin on her fist. "I'd rather not destroy it."

"Oh?" The noble woman raised an eyebrow, dropping down across from her friend with her arms crossed. "Taking in strays, now?" She didn't even flinch at the glare leveled at her.

"Distant cousin of mine and his two companions. His parents kicked him out when he said he wanted to be a shinigami. You know how we are about that sort of thing. I took him in. Spitting image of Kaien."

"How sweet of you, Kaku-chan!" Yoruichi cooed, channeling Kisuke for a moment. "When can I meet him?"

"Never, if I have anything to say about it," Kukaku growled. "The last thing he needs is some noblewoman messing around in his business. I'm just glad he's already gone."

"Is that why you made such a drastic change in your living arrangements? So none of your shinigami friends could find you?"

"Tch." Kukaku didn't answer, turning her head away, and Yoruichi knew she had it right.

"You know, we do care about you, and not just as a shinigami cares about potential allies or enemies. Just because we happen to be shinigami doesn't mean we aren't your friends. We grew up together, remember? I think that counts more than an honorary reinstatement." Her tone was soft now, none of the mocking playfulness that it normally held.

Kukaku glanced over at her. One corner of her mouth hooked up in a rare genuine smile. "Yeah, I know, Yoru-chan."

The Shihoin head of house grinned back at her. "Good. I'm glad. Now, let's forget about all of that dreary stuff" she flapped her hand dismissively "and get to celebrating! Ganju, you little eavesdropper, get some sake!"

A yelp and bump from behind her greeted her words, quickly followed by the distinct padding sound of slippered feet running on tatami flooring. Across from her, Kukaku dropped her head in her hands and let out a groan.

Yoruichi just grinned madly, inordinately pleased with herself.

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The _shlick!_ of a sharp blade slicing through bone mask as if it were paper sent a slight wave of satisfaction through Karin. She spared a moment to watch it dissolve before spinning to impale another hollow, blue trails of light marking Gintora's path.

Hollow attacks were changing. The single, low-level attacks that required single shinigami in semi-permanent stations all over the globe were lessening. Now, hollows attacked in groups, hoards that required an attack force to be ready to respond. Usually a ten-person squad led by a seated officer was enough. But sometimes the hollows were too numerous or too powerful, and smaller, higher-ranking teams were dispatched.

Like hers.

With a roar, she launched herself at a new hollow, this one bigger than the rest. One advantage of having Ichimaru: the Gotei 13 knew a hell of a lot more about hollows now. He delighted in lecturing about his favorite playthings. Unfortunately, he used a lot of graphs and complicated theories that mostly went straight over her head (something she suspected he also delighted in). She'd rather just be out killing the monsters. But she did pick up a few useful general concepts.

For example, the weakest hollows were small, colorful, and inhumanoid. This one was large, mostly dull brown and green, and it had two arms and two legs. Worked for her. Straight mass slaughter got old surprisingly quickly.

She brought Gintora around in a long sweeping motion, the momentum causing it to slice right through the armored plates on the hollow's arm, which was up to block her swing. It howled in pain and shook her off, drenching her in crimson blood.

She danced around it, intending to cleave open its head from behind. Clearly it had encountered shinigami before, because it ducked away from her sword and spun, using its momentum to backhand her away from it.

The blow didn't faze her. It would take something more powerful to do that. She wasn't anywhere near Ichi-nii in power, of course, but she was certainly strong enough to annihilate this one a hundred times over. She was proud of the fact that she was Muguruma-taichou's third seat.

The hollow gawped at her, probably stunned its weak-ass blow hadn't tossed her sideways. Obviously it had never encountered anything but the weaker, unseated shinigami.

"What, that all you got? Sorry." She drove the tip of her Chinese sword into its middle, the blue light lancing along its blade. It howled as it disintegrated, until she kicked it in the face to shut it up.

"Damn things always making so much noise," she muttered.

Karin turned back to the main fight, intending to rejoin it, and blinked. Not a single monster remained. A tall man stepped up beside her, and she punched him lightly in the side. "You didn't leave any for me, Chado," she told him, looking accusingly up at him.

A small smile played around his lips. "My apologies, Karin-san," he said sincerely.

Chado was pretty much a permanent fixture at her side. It had been sort of a natural thing - one day, he just stationed himself at her side and no one had ever questioned it. She was like Ichigo v2.0, so why wouldn't Chado be her constant shadow?

It came out of nowhere. A shadow dropped over them, and the whine of building energy was her only warning before a red tsunami enveloped them. Intense heat and pressure like nothing she had ever felt before tore at her. It was over in moments, but it had felt like an eternity. She was left scorched and bleeding from places where skin had been shredded.

Still, it wasn't as terrible as she had expected a Menos' cero to be. When the pressure-spots in her vision faded away and she regained herself enough to spin around, she saw Chado standing over her, his arms out to block as much of the blast as he could. Smoke curled up behind him.

A red haze of fury seemed to lower itself over her vision. She couldn't hear anything - it was like the world was muffled. A black-cloaked giant towered above her, several more behind it. She could just make out a robed figure standing on one of the massive shoulders.

It was like her head grew heavier. Pressure squeezed her skull tight, making it impossible to concentrate. She'd had this feeling before, but it had been ages - over a decade. Her body moved on its own, almost, as if she were detached from it. Tunnel vision focused her sight on her enemies.

Gintora rent the air in front of her, its blue trails lingering. She roared like the tiger her sword was named after. Before she knew it, she had sliced through the first white-bone mask, the pretty blue streaks turning into a pulse of energy that propelled the cut down through the entirety of the mask. With an ear-splitting shriek, the Menos dissolved into unbound reishi, the hundreds of souls that it contained finally released.

A much more solid - and bearable - force slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her. One of the Menos had raised a hand. However slow they appeared to be from a distance, their size meant that they had to move fast.

She skidded back on the air, catching herself and flipping back onto her feet. Acting on instinct, she let out a howl that rivaled those of the Menos. She was the King, not them. They were worthless, mindless foot-soldiers whose blood would feed her blade.

When the second cero hit her, she was ready for it. She threw up her blade in front of her and roared out. Her wonderful sword caught the sound and _pulsed_, throwing the sound out in a wave of pressure. It drove back the cero, dissipating it and the second one that was forming in front of another into formless reishi.

She carved open the mask of the one nearest her in a long, curving line, reaching from the middle of its forehead to the bottom of its cheek. It wailed and threw a hand up to cover the cut. It was dissolving slowly, a gradual march of destruction from one side of its body to the other.

A tsunami of energy boiled the air around her. There was no protection this time, no solid shield covering her or overpowering wave of energy. Her shihaku-shou burned up in moments, leaving just the short white robe smoldering underneath. As the cero ended, the mask that she hadn't even realized she'd had on until this moment shattered like glass and disintegrated into the air. Boneless, she plummeted toward the ground, no reiatsu left to keep her up.

A thick arm hooked around her middle, jerking her to a stop. Muguruma-taicho growled in her ear. "Don't you _ever_ do somethin' as fucking dumbass bird-brain stupid as that again, ya hear me?"

He was angry. _Very_ angry. His voice, normally on the same level as some death-metal shit blasting out of a rich-boy's car, was carefully controlled and so quiet she had to strain to hear it. It was like the calm before the storm, the cease-fire before the nuke. And he was scared, too.

She coughed, a deep, whole-body thing that set her throat on fire. "Cha- do," she rasped out. She spit, trying to get rid of the stuff in her mouth, and she saw red drops fall earthward. "Where-"

"Shut up. We've got'im."

He shun-po'ed to a rooftop below them. The sudden, jarring movement made her grit her teeth to stop from screaming. Her body felt like a sack of meat, and her skin scraped against the concrete surface of the roof.

Muguruma-taicho gave her a once-over. "You're lucky to be alive, though maybe you won't feel that way when we get back home. You and I are going to have a little talk about control." Karin would have shuddered, if it didn't hurt so much to move. She had no doubt that whatever her captain could dish out was far worse than anything some paltry Gillian could do.

He nodded to her side. "Your shadow's safe. A bit better'n you, actually. Now don't move and inch. If you do..."

Karin smiled grimly. "Ya kill me," she managed through gritted teeth.

His grin was terrifying. "Oh no. I believe Unohana-taichou has _much_ worse things in mind for anyone who makes her job harder."

He shun-po'ed away then, leaving her to mull over that bone-chilling thought.

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It was almost - _almost_ - like seeing Ichigo again. His sister was a bit more... refined. Reserved, perhaps. Not by much though, certainly.

And of course there was the matter of the obvious difference in power. But Karin would catch up to her big brother. There was no doubt about that.

Shinji propped his chin on his fist. In the back of his mind, his hollow was egging him to join in, but he had become quite adept at ignoring the pestering asshole. His haori was carefully arranged around him. His feet hung over the side of the cliff.

Karin was in the unique position of never really having been out of control before. Her hollow (Yoshi _[early death]_, he thought she called it, so much more creative than his own term - Seiyou _[pest]_) had been carefully and methodically brought out. She never really felt the fear of losing herself, of becoming a true, mindless monster, of hurting, even killing, her loved ones. He envied her of that, but it also meant that she had less of a bone-deep need to control her hollow with a steel fist. Through no fault of her own, she simply didn't have the motivation.

And therein lay their problem. Because they weren't going to let her rampage out of control. He wasn't even sure she could - even during that incident in the World of the Living, Karin was aware of herself. She had enough of a hold on her hollow that it couldn't rebel. Instead, it seemed to be seeping through the cracks in her soul, gradually influencing her more and more. She seemed to be on a fast track to becoming something truly half-hollow.

Shinji was sure Ichigo would murder him if he came back to find his little sister had developed a taste for souls.

They had to get her to put up a barrier in her soul. At the moment, he and Kisuke were puzzling this out. Which was why he was here, watching his two dourui* _[partner, accomplice, of the same kind]_ fight. Though there wasn't much of a contest.

Next to him, Kisuke winced as one of Kensei's great big fireballs tossed Karin backwards like a ragdoll. "I understand Ken-san is frustrated by this whole thing," he mused, "but does he really have to take it out on Kurosaki-chan like this?"

Shinji sighed. "He's always had trouble expressing himself. Just look at how he is with Mashiro. Or Shuu-chan."

Kisuke glanced at him sidelong. "And you are so much better, of course."

Shinji decided not to dignify that with an answer. Instead he kicked his feet out like a child, watching the fight below intently. Near the entrance to the training ground, the towering figure of Chado leaned against the cliff wall, ready to jump in if he thought the fight was going too far.

In all of his hundreds of years, Shinji had rarely seen that type of devotion. Even Yoruichi's former tagalong, Soi Fon, had displayed a different type of devotion, something more like worship. Chado wasn't oblivious to Karin's - or Ichigo's - faults, but he followed them unquestioningly anyway.

Both shinigami flinched at the enraged roar that Karin let out. Shinji leaned forward, watching her closely. He could see wisps of blackish-orange reiatsu curling off her body and sword.

"She's still in control," Kisuke mused. His fan tapped against his lips. "The hollowfication isn't spreading. Still..."

"She's not entirely herself, either."

"Yes, but there's no measurable way to determine that!" Kisuke told him. For the first time Shinji had seen, he sounded frustrated. Even when he'd told them he couldn't take their hollows out of them, he had sounded more sad and stumped. Now it was like there was a frosted glass wall in front of him, through which he could see indistinct shapes of ideas but couldn't see them or reach them. It was almost... amusing. "If only I could do some tests... have her in the lab for a while..."

"You better pray Kensei doesn't overhear those thoughts of yours," Shinji informed him, grinning at the bloody image that formed in his head. "Or Shuu-chan, or Chado, or Yuzu-chan or Isshin-san for that matter."

His friend shuddered. "I think I'm most scared of Kurosaki-chibi, to be frank," he muttered, hiding behind his fan and slouching forward like a sulking child. The notion of a three-hundred-plus-year-old former shinigami captain being afraid of the diminutive twenty-something-year-old sixth seat of Fourth Company was both hilarious and completely sensible. There seemed to be something of a feud between the two of them. Yuzu-chan didn't trust Kisuke around her family - completely understandable. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement - as long as Kisuke kept his scientist's mitts off her family, she wouldn't castrate him.

Unfortunately, in this instance it didn't seem like that would be possible. The dourui were wrestling now, swords tossed aside. Very colorful language drifted up to them, but it was only in Kensei's gruff tone. Karin would normally be giving as good as she got in a verbal war (something else that Yuzu-chan disapproved of). Instead they could only hear grunts and growls coming from her. She still seemed to be mostly in control - she wasn't really fighting back the way a hollow would - but it was clear she was kind of lost in the mindset of the fight instead of balancing on the edge, like any of them were when they put on their masks.

It was clear Kensei realized this too, because when he found an opening, instead of attacking her he grabbed the edge of her tiger-mask and tried to break it off. A large chunk of it crumbled in his hand, and Karin blinked rapidly. The rest of it dissolved after a moment, obeying her unspoken command. So she still had control over it - there was no struggle to get rid of it.

Chado was at her side in a moment, a comforting hand on her shoulder. Shinji followed Kisuke down, landing behind Kensei.

"I did it again, didn't I," Karin stated matter-of-factly. If he hadn't known her for ten years, led her through the process of learning to control her hollow, he wouldn't have been able to see the tiny trace of fear in her eyes.

Kensei's fists were clenching and unclenching. Letting out a huff of breath, he dropped to the ground next to his subordinate. "Yeah," he growled after a moment. He met Shinji's eyes, then Kisuke's. "Exactly like before," he said, anger clear in his voice. "Except I'm not watching her burn because she couldn't see a cero this time. Can you two hurry up and do whatever sciency shit you gotta do so I can get my fourth seat back to normal?"

Kisuke snorted. "Ken-san, however much of an ignoramus you pretend to be, even you know that this 'sciency... stuff' takes time," he lectured, waving his fan happily. "I am going to require Kurosaki-chan's presence in my lab, you do realize." However frustrated he was about the whole thing, he was clearly eager to start working on it.

Karin and her captain exchanged unreadable glances. "Alright, fine," Karin said finally, staring Kisuke in the eye. "One one condition."

Shinji could swear he saw a drop of sweat form on Kisuke's brow. "Yes, Kurosaki-chan?" he asked nervously.

The grin on her face was priceless. "You get to tell Yuzu why I'm not going to be able to stay with her and Goat-face this weekend," she said.

Kisuke gulped, and the rest of them grinned.

.

.

.

"Osu, chibi." _[osu - slang "acknowledgement" hello/yes/got it; chibi - little, cute]_

The snowy-head kid-captain jumped at the bang of the sliding door that always accompanied her entrance. She stalked over to the couch in the middle of the room and plopped down, banging her heels down on the table in front of it.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Hyori's response was the smirk she knew drove him crazy. "Ne, what's up, chibi-taichou?"

"I SAID DON'T - aaagh, whatever. Just... shut up and stay over there, you pain in my ass." Chibi-taichou waved a hand exasperatedly at her, scribbling something down with the other.

Big-boobs in the corner gasped dramatically. "Taichou, your language! I'm going to have to wash your mouth out with soap if you keep talking like that!"

The look Chibi-taichou shot her could have frozen hell over. It had absolutely zero effect on Big-boobs, though. As usual.

Chibi-taichou went back to his beloved paperwork. At some point he had realized it was easier to let it go and ignore both women. It was both a relief that he just let her stay in here and a bit of a disappointment - it was so fun to watch him blow up over the simplest things.

Hyori tipped her head back to rest it on the back of the couch and closed her eyes, zoning out to the muffled sounds of squad activity outside of the office and the soft sounds of the two officers working diligently - well, one of them working diligently, the other one occasionally going into bouts of productiveness but mostly slacking off.

Even after ten years, she still wasn't used to being back in Soul Society. She was only even here because her dourui were. Gotei 13 was untrustworthy. And she didn't really fit in anymore. She was something more than shinigami now, and they had no idea what to do with her or any of the others. The "honorary captains" title was an awkward, temporary fix. And sure, Shinji and Kensei had control of their squads again, but no one had any illusions that they would be there if there had been any other qualified (and willing) options.

Tenth Squad was her sanctuary now. She could never stand Kurostuchi for very long. Ukitake, the closest, was insufferably nice, like his whole squad, and everyone in Eleventh always wanted to brawl. Chibi left her alone, and she could zone out to the sounds of shinigami life.

She was pulled into awareness by the sound of pounding feet. That was a familiar sound, too. The door was flung open for the second time that day and made another loud bang, grabbing everyone's attention. A man she vaguely recognized as a fifth or sixth seat kneeled in the doorway, breathing heavily.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Taichou, Fukutaichou!"

"Forget it, just report," Chibi ordered, standing. "What happened." His voice was calm, not like the guy in the doorway.

"A Menos-level hollow is attacking in the West Rukongai, District 47," the officer got out, speaking rapidly. "An adjuchas, we think."

Chibi nodded. "Understood. Matsumoto, come with me." He grabbed his zanpaku-tou from the stand next to his desk and slung it over his shoulder, tightening the strap.

"Don't bother." Hyori stood up, cracking her back. "I got this."

The officer looked up from the found, startled out of his respectful position. "Meiyotaichou _[honorary captain]_! Forgive me, I didn't see you."

"Whatever," she responded. She looked over to Chibi, who grimaced and nodded.

"Go ahead," he said. "You're certainly capable enough for something like this." He unfastened his sash again, pulling the sword off.

Hyori snorted. "Damn right. Later, Chibi."

She was gone in an instant, missing the ice-glare Chibi threw at her and the officer's sputtering. The air in front of her put up no resistance - shun-po was almost as easy as breathing. Even a journey that long took only a few minutes - though that was plenty of time for an adjuchas to do a lot of damage. They had the West Gate open for her already, so she didn't have to stop at all.

It was easy to find the adjuchas. It was the only strong spiritual presence for miles. Plus the wreckage it left in its wake was kind of a dead giveaway. Most hollows had no sense of subtlety. Then again, neither did she. As demonstrated by her first attack.

"Hado 31, Shakkahou!"

One of her favorite hado (and one of the only ones she knew). Her captain-class reiatsu expanded it to a fireball the size of your average house - about as big as the adjuchas itself.

It leapt out of the smoke toward her, one claw coming down on her from above. She met it with her zanpaku-tou easily, the blade biting into the bone-claw. Grunting with effort, she used that leverage to flip the giant creature, smacking him against the ground.

It screeched at her. "Shinigami! I will rip you open!"

"Not very creative, baldy!" She shun-po'ed behind it in an instant, smirking at its clumsy whirl to face her. "And fer your information - I'm not a stinkin' shinigami." She brought her blade down on its head, satisfied when it was able to dodge. It would suck if she came all the way out here for some weakling.

It wasn't evolved very much, obviously, cause it didn't speak any more, just howled at her while it met her continuous rain of attacks. She drove it back, away from the souls, who had stopped running around shrieking their heads off and started idiotically standing around watching with their mouths open like fish.

"Get back, you damn idiots, 'less you wanna feel a world 'a pain!" She was enjoying this a lot more than she should've been. Contrary to popular belief, she did care about lives; or at least, she would feel bad if people died while she was having fun. And her dourui would get on her case. So she forced the adjuchas back away from them, putting in unnecessary effort to keep idiot civilians safe from their own damn stupidity.

She almost didn't see the tail coming. The creature itself seemed to be monkey-like (though grotesquely enormous), and its tail seemed to echo that. It tried to grab her from behind, the end snaking around her. Deftly, she used the momentum of her next attack and the hollow's block to twist in midair, bringing her sword up over her head in a long arc and slicing right through the tail.

It was pretty messy. Deep red - almost black - blood sprayed everywhere, showering the civilians (who, infuriatingly, still hadn't moved), the village, and her while the hollow screamed and flailed around. Drama queen. In revenge for the disgusting experience, she landed on its face and stuck it in the eye.

She hadn't even needed her mask. It was pretty disappointing.

It dissolved, but the sticky blood stayed behind. Only higher-level hollows seemed to have that particular inconvenient trait. She surveyed the villagers, and noticed that not all of it was of the hollow variety - several of them sported mildly serious wounds, and nearly all of them had some sort of superficial cuts and scrapes.

She sighed. Fighting the things was all well and good, but being stuck with cleanup duty sucked big-time.

Nearby, she felt shinigami reiatsu approach. Most of them were weak, not even seats. The one in front, though, she recognized. Tiger-chan and puma-chan's friend**.

They showed up soon enough - four total. "Ah! Sarugaki-meiyotaichou-sama!" the familiar one called.

"Osu, Wimpy-chan**."

The shinigami blushed wildly. "Meiyotaichou, onegai!" he complained, waving his hands. It made a cool blur effect to look through.

One of his subordinates cleared his throat. "Uh, Yamada-san, your orders?" he asked hesitantly, obviously weirded out by the strange display.

That snapped Wimpy back into action-mode. He lifted his pack over his head and dictated orders rapidly. "Egami, gather anyone who's wounded in one place. Make sure you separate out minor wounds from major ones. Calm everybody down. Takenga, start basic physical healing on the major wounds. Jiyo, heal minor wounds and get people who are finished out of the way. I'll start healing major wounds." He glanced up at her. "Meiyotaichou, do you think you could get rid of the majority of this hollow blood? We don't want another one showing up."

The military precision they moved with was impressive, for a group of people she was used to tripping over their own feet. She watched them dart off after agreeing. Then she shook herself and went to clean up her mess.

Again, it was one of the few kidou spells she knew. Grunts used this; captains usually had other people to clean up after them after a big battle. She put the edges of her hands together, palms facing out, and drew them apart. "Bakudo 3; Bakufu _[cascade]_."

A torrent of water rushed from her palms and crashed against the trees. It evaporated when it touched a surface, taking anything hollow-like with it. She repeated it several times, until there was no trace of hollow blood on the trees and bushes.

It wasn't hard; just boring. She sighed when Wimpy-chan caught her eye and waved her over.

"Gomenasai _[formal thank you]_, Sarugaki-sama, you can go back to Seireitei now if you like. We can handle the rest."

Wimpy-chan looked harassed. The woman in front of him looked mulish, holding her toddler tightly. "Yes, taichou-san, run back to your shining palace and leave us normal folk alone." She glared at Hyori fiercely, cradling the boy's head. Hyori could see a slash across the top of it that had bled badly. The woman's yukata fell forward over her shoulder, as if there wasn't enough to hold it up. She walked around behind the soul and saw a long slash that ran down one side of her back, starting at the shoulder. She probably tried to protect her son, but not have been able to shield the top of his head from the strike that ripped open her back.

The woman tried to turn to follow her, and bit her lip until it bled to stop from crying out at the pain of moving her back. Hyori snorted. "Idiot. You're being healed for free. Take it. I doubt this baka-chan would even think of debt. He healed damn ryoka back from near death. His bleeding heart actually likes helping people." She snorted again. "God knows why when they treat 'im like this."

The woman glared at her. To her surprise, she felt a surge of reiatsu from the woman, nothing powerful, but probably enough to get her into the Shinigami Academy. Wimpy-chan obviously felt it too, because he looked at her pleadingly. "I can't heal her," he complained. "Her reiatsu is fighting me."

Hyori finished her circuit and crouched down in front of the two souls. Without warning, she grabbed the sick-looking boy from his mom's arms and handed him to Wimpy. "Heal him," she ordered. She held the woman back and scanned the group of souls, ignoring her flailing and insults (though a few of them were pretty impressive).

"Egg-somethin'! Get over here!" The shinigami turned at her voice and ran over.

"My name is Egami, meiyotaichou-sama -"

"Yeah, whatever. You got any antiseptic in that bag?"

He blinked. "Hai, meiyotai-"

"Quit the stupid titles and just gimmie the thing!"

He handed it over hastily.

"Thank you. And you -" she addressed the still-struggling woman "- we can do this the easy way, er the hard way."

When the woman just glared defiantly at her, she sighed. Easily, she shoved the woman onto her stomach and put a foot firmly on the unwounded part of her back. Roughly, she yanked the tattered yukata out of the way and opened the jar of antiseptic cream.

She almost didn't bother being gentle. Things that annoyed her usually got pulverized. But habit kicked in, and she smoothed the cream on, working it into the cut. Under her hands and foot, the woman hissed and squirmed.

"Stay still, or this is gonna hurt a lot more!" After a moment, the soul calmed down. She put her chin on her hands and watched Wimpy-chan heal her child with narrowed eyes.

The shinigami handed her a square of damp cloth when she set the cream down. Carefully, she wiped down the sides of the cut, cleaning away the blood.

Hyori stuck her hand out when she was done. "Gimmie that stuff that stops the bleeding," she demanded without looking. After a second, she felt the jar placed in her hand.

"Please be sparing, Sarugaki-sama," Egg-whatsit pleaded. "That is hard to make, and there isn't a lot left..."

She dipped two fingers in the stuff, spreading a thin layer over the slash. The motions were all too familiar to her; even Hachi wasn't really a healer, so they had to rely on physical methods. She handed back the jar when no more blood seeped out of the cut. Egg-whatsit took it gingerly, tucking it in his bag, and handed her a roll of new bandages.

"All done!" Wimpy-chan set the little boy down cheerfully by his mom's head. "There, all better. I have to go help other people now, okay? So behave for your momma." He patted the boy gently on the head and smiled before trotting over the the next person.

The woman sat up when Hyori lifted her. She smiled at her son and squeaked when Hyori reached under her yukata to wrap the bandages around her torso.

The visored rolled her eyes. "For shuck's sake, woman," she drawled, continuing without caring. Egg-whatsit blushed and looked away.

When the roll ran out, she yanked it tight and tucked it securely under the layers of cloth. "There," she said. "And you woulda not had all that embarrassment and discomfort if you woulda just let Wimpy-chan heal you."

She spun around, ready to shunpo away. She had already done way more than she wanted to.

A hand on her shihakushou stopped her. She turned and put her hands on her hips, meeting the woman's glare with a stare of her own.

The woman worked her jaw for a moment, like she was trying to get words out. "Gomenasai," she managed, bowing stiffly.

Hyori just looked at her for a moment. "Yeah, yeah, don't thank me, thank the stupidly nice people. And don't fight next time." She turned away. "You should get trained," she threw over her shoulder. "Say Sarugaki-meiyotaichou sent you, they'll let you bring your kid in." She didn't wait for a response. Sappy thank-yous weren't her thing. Instead, she leapt away, vanishing in a blur.

Maybe today was actually worth something.

.

.

.

Las Noches was dead.

She didn't know why she kept coming back here. Maybe it was because she still somehow believed that her lord and master would be here, waiting for his soldiers. Maybe it was because she couldn't escape the memories of being part of a world of more rational creatures, part of something that had meaning. Maybe it was because no hollows approached the ruins, and so, away from them, she could escape her own primal monster.

The palace's great ceiling had crumbled, breaking the illusion of a bright blue sky. Things wasted away quickly in Hueco Mundo, even, it seemed, monuments like this. Half of the dome remained, shielding the smaller palaces underneath, but the rest littered the sands below in pieces.

The little - if they could be called that; they were monstrosities in their own rights - palaces had crumbled, too. Everywhere she looked, from her position on the still-standing rim of the monument's walls, she could see empty shells of buildings.

Nothing moved. There was no wind in Hueco Mundo. The little creatures that scurried around under the sand stayed away from here. She missed the days when Las Noches was busy with soldiers.

A slight wind pushed her hair forward for a moment before it settled back. On either side of her, her companions appeared. They were the only ones left after Aizen-sama's fall. Of the few who had kept their minds without Aizen-sama's firm hand to guide them, they were the only survivors.

"Why keep coming here?" Grimmjow growled. "There's nothing but fucking rocks." He glared spitefully at the ruins of his old home. "And skeletons."

Halibel's deep voice soothed him. "Memories, Grimmjow. This place is what made us, and it is the only thing that keeps us different from the mindless beasts we hunt."

He bared his teeth. "Aizen-sama made us what we are. And he's fucking gone now, isn't he?" Still, he didn't move, watching the ruins with his comrades.

They stood in silence for a while. She sensed Halibel's trio of followers waiting patiently below them, and felt a pang of sadness for her own devotees. Dondochakka and Pesche were too ill-equipped for the savagery of the old Hueco Mundo, and she had been too weak. Orihime had healed her physically, but her reiatsu hadn't gone up to its former overwhelming state until her two "big brothers" had given themselves to her.

She almost missed the figure standing on one of the few remaining towers in front of them. It stood perfectly still, and the indigo robes blended into the black sky. She felt no reiatsu from it, but her skin tingled.

Without a word, she took off toward it, vanishing from her spot in an instant. She heard Grimmjow's startled shout in the distance behind her, but didn't slow.

In a few fractions of a second, she got close enough to see the smile on the figure's face. It was a woman, her hair pulled up into a high bun, dressed in an indigo shihaku-shou. She held a katana in one hand and its sheath in the other. A long dagger sat at her hip.

Even this close, Nelliel sensed no reiatsu, but when she drew her blade up to attack, it was met with unforgiving steel. She hadn't even seen the woman move. Her arm felt numb - it was as if she had attacked a wall of seki-seki.

The woman grinned. "Hello, arrancar-san. I see Hueco Mundo is an unwelcoming land."

Nelliel jumped back, standing on the air several meters up and out from the edge of the pillar. "Who are you?" she demanded, looking down on the stranger.

"Something you have never encountered before, arrancar-san. Something that should make you shake with fear."

"Bullshit." Grimmjow signaled his arrival with his usual tact. "No pansy shinigami will ever make an arrancar tremble."

"Oh?" The woman raised an eyebrow. "Not even your precious Aizen?"

"Aizen-sama was our Creator," Nel interrupted. "He is not just a shinigami."

"I suppose the same goes for Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Inwardly, Nelliel grit her teeth. Ichigo was still a sore subject - for herself as well as Grimmjow. She missed her friend, and Grimmjow missed his rival, however much he hated to admit it.

"Fuck yeah," the panther growled. "Kurosaki's no stuck-up old geezer."

The stranger giggled, obviously amused by them. "Aizen's pets are very entertaining. No wonder he kept you around for so long."

Their backs straightened almost automatically. "We're no stinkin' pets," Grimmjow informed her.

"We are his loyal Swords, his most capable soldiers."

She outright laughed at them this time. "Capable? Perhaps against the Gotei 13, although that is also questionable. But after they were gone? You would have been of no use to him in the King's Realm. Only one of you would have stood a chance, and he was ripped to pieces by your precious Kurosaki. Or rather, his monster."

That was important. The woman meant Ulquiorra, undoubtedly, and the "Segunda Etapa" Orihime had mentioned to her briefly before she and the rest of Ichigo's friends went after him. Nelliel didn't have much time to dwell on that, however, because she could practically see steam coming out of Grimmjow's ears.

He had always been the most excitable of the arrancars who had once been Vasto Lordes. Even Nnoitora hadn't been temperamental, just spiteful. She put it down to the fact that he'd been a Lorde for a very short time before Aizen had got to him, and so he hadn't had the centuries to mellow out that the rest of them had. He was the baby of the group - unused to the security and requirements of that kind of power. It was probably the only reason Barragan had tolerated him.

She gripped his forearm tightly, warning him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him glance at her, though she kept her gaze on the stranger. She didn't trust her not to attack them, and she was finding it hard to grip her sword after that one clash.

A flicker in the air was all the warning any of them got before Halibel was there. She settled into view behind the woman, and she yanked her odd sword towards her. It should have passed right through the woman's throat.

Instead, it stopped, centimeters away. All of them looked down at the blade, surprised. Two slim fingers held it back. After a moment, Halibel lowered her sword and sonido'ed around to her two comrades.

"You're strong, despite your lack of reiatsu. I suppose the most accurate question would be _what_ are you." Halibel's voice revealed no uncertainty over her ability to defend against the woman, should she need to, even after that impressive display.

The woman rubbed her fingers together thoughtfully, ignoring Halibel. "Perhaps you have some potential after all. You almost broke my skin." She looked up and locked eyes with each of them. Something in her gaze had changed, a new shrewdness in there. She looked like a cat, trying to decide if a mouse was worth catching.

"You haven't answered our question, stranger. How are you so strong? And what do you want with Las Noches?"

"You would defend a fallen fortress?"

"Stop with the fucking evasion bullshit!" Nelliel felt Grimmjow's muscles tense, and she dug in her nails, keeping him from leaping forward.

The woman blinked at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I frustrating the kitty-cat? I wonder if you would chase a laser dot like the cats in the world of the living. Perhaps I'll try that sometime." She put a finger on her lips, as if pondering the thought. "I always wanted a kitty."

Halibel had to grab the panther's other arm after that comment. He seemed as if he was going to start foaming at the mouth, soon. The stranger laughed at the spectacle he was making.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop playing for now, kitty-chan. I'll see you again - maybe we can have some more fun, huh? You seem like you would be great fun to keep, though you might have to be declawed. I have important things to do, though, so I don't have time right now. Bye, kitty-chan! See you soon!" She winked and blew a kiss, and before the resulting explosion, she was gone, impossible to track because of her lack of reiatsu. Grimmjow had to satisfy himself with destroying the pillar and everything else within a mile radius before he ran off to cool down.

Halibel shook her head. "That temper of his will kill him," she stated, and Nel nodded in agreement. They waited together in silence for Grimmjow to return, the Tres Bestias bickering below.

"Feel better?" she asked when Grimmjow reappeared. He threw her a look, breathing heavily, and flopped down on his back, linking his hands behind his head.

Nelliel glanced over at her successor. "Do you have any idea who that was?" she asked. Of the three of them, Halibel had been the only one to fight in the battle at Karakura Town. She knew the shinigami best, then.

The shark shook her head. "No shinigami wears colored robes. Not even Yamamoto's squad. As for her inexplicable absence of reiatsu... if it means what I think it does, then we are all but sitting ducks for her." She frowned. "Although I doubt it is exactly what I am thinking."

When Nelliel just looked blankly at her, she sighed and sat down, cross-legged, on the air, motioning for Nelliel to do the same. "You know there are different levels of existence, correct? Humans-" she lifted one long finger "-are on the lowest level, aware only of their own world, though they may guess about the existence of higher beings." Her voice wasn't condescending, but it held a similar sort of loftiness that the shinigami felt entitled to. There was no love for humans there.

She lifted a second finger. "Then there are spiritual beings - hollows, and shinigami." She motioned down her body. "And combinations thereof. Humans cannot sense our existence at all, but we, as higher beings, have full awareness of them. There are a few anomalies in this system, of course. The Quincy are a prime example. They can interact fully with our realm, but they are not a part of it. They are humans, and exist in the same world as humans, and die in the same way. Humans cannot sense their spiritual presence, however, any more than they can sense us."

Her fingers curled into a tight fist when she paused. Even Grimmjow was listening intently now. The Tres Bestias had joined them, sitting a respectful distance away.

"And there is a level of being even above us. This is the level which Aizen-sama ascended to. While I lay on the ground in the false Karakura Town, I could feel the reiatsu from the battles above me. He did to me the same thing that he did to the shinigami captains and the Visoreds - he rendered me unable to fight or even move, but ensured that I would stay conscious. He wanted an audience." She shivered. "I am thankful for that, despite how much pain I endured. Without my conscious will, I doubt I would have survived Yamamoto's flames."

Halibel closed her eyes. "I felt him strike down every enemy effortlessly. I think the only shinigami he had any trouble with was the Captain-Commander. Everything else was acting. And I felt Aizen-sama's transformation. After that... nothing." She drummed her fingers on her knee. "I was able to feel the last three shinigami to arrive - Kurosaki Isshin, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Urahara Kisuke - and the fluctuations in their reiatsu as they fought. But it was like they were attacking a cloud in the sky. Aizen-sama was, according to my spiritual senses, nonexistent - exactly like the woman in the indigo shihaku-shou."

Grimmjow frowned. "Could you still see him?"

She nodded. "According to my physical senses, he was still there. I suppose for the first time I realized what it is to be a powerless human. None of the shinigami could sense him, either. As far as I am aware, the only being whom could feel his reiatsu without him deliberately lowering it was Kurosaki Ichigo. I assume that Kurosaki also somehow ascended to that state, as he was the catalyst for Aizen-sama's defeat. I did not witness this myself, however."

Nelliel tilted her head back. "Clearly they are not the first to assume this state, then. The Soul King most likely exists in this level of being."

"With a difference, however. Aizen-sama and Kurosaki were born in our state of being - or lower, in Kurosaki's case. As far as I can tell, this is why I could see and hear Aizen, even after his reiatsu disappeared. The Quincy are again a good example of this phenomenon. The Soul King will never have been on our level, and so will be nonexistent to all of our senses, not only our spiritual ones."

Grimmjow growled suddenly. "This is why I hate theory. I'm getting a headache." He rubbed his knuckles against his forehead and jumped to his feet. "You girls can keep up with this speculation shit about the 'nature of existence' or whatever. I'm gonna go kill something."

He lifted a hand in farewell and vanished, the air curling up where he had been for a moment afterward.

"Men," Mila Rose snorted. "can't do anything but chase tail and sleep."

Nelliel grinned. "Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be in Grimm's position?" she asked. "What if you were stuck in a group of five men without any other women?"

She could see the idea sink into their minds, and the resulting expressions of disgust and horror had her rolling around in a fit of giggles.

Halibel joined in. Nel had a hunch, from the tone of her voice, that behind her shark's face mask, the corners of her mouth were curved up. "It doesn't help that a single one of us would be far too much woman for him to handle. Nel and I are far more powerful, and the three of you gang up on anyone who figures himself man enough to take you on."

In less than a minute, only she and Sun-Sun were left with any composure at all.

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_**warmthwarmthwarmth**_

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*dourui - I needed a name for the Visoreds to call themselves. I chose a Japanese word because the Japanese culture is intrinsically community-centered and exclusive. I wanted the Visoreds to see themselves as a clan, like a pack of wolves, so I tried to find a word that would have the same feeling of togetherness and isolation from others as "packmate" without being wolf-centered. I think I succeeded; I am not fluent in the intricacies of the Japanese language and the connotations of different words, but I did my best. Just know that they think of themselves as a close-knit group.

**Hyori's nicknames (incase of confusion): Chibi = Hitsugaya, Big-boobs = Rangiku, Tiger-chan = Karin, puma-chan = Yuzu, Wimpy = Hanatarou

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So, you'll notice that I put the translations of Japanese words in the story, instead of in a glossary afterwards. That was because of a suggestion by a reader that the constant scrolling up and down and the unfamiliar words were taking away from the story, rather than adding to it. We'll see what you think of this method, yeah? (^.^)

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My New Year's Resolution: Upload one chapter every two weeks. We'll see how that goes, yeah?

The plot thickens! Dunh-dunh-dunh. Now we're getting to the part where I can't answer a lot of questions... *rubs hands together*

And before you kill me for not giving you any updates on our favorite trio, just remember!:

I haz da powar. (｡･｀ω´･｡) *sticks out tongue*

Sopleasedon'tmurdermeinmysleeeep!

As per usual, any questions, just review. However, I can no longer promise that I can answer all of them. Any misunderstandings, though, I will be happy to clear up（＾_＾）!

Also, often my previous responses have the answers to questions in them, so check them out if you've uber-confused.

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**Review Responses:**

**Maverick14th - **Yo! I updated again... eheh. Yeah, I decided to do last chapter all in the characters' inner worlds. Introspection time, yay. I agree with you about Aizen. He's not really a go-adventuring-with-the-younglings type. Karin has a hollow because she's like Ichigo; her power is a lot like his, and she's half-human like him, and humans can become either hollows or shinigami. When Aizen killed her, her hollow side surfaced, but instead of going out-of-control and hollowfying immediately like Ichigo, the Visoreds sent her into her inner world to do battle before the hollow started getting out of control. Karin is the "dark cub" and her hollow, Youshi, is the "light cub" - remember, the hollows are bone-white.

**Gemini24 -** Yes, it seems we do think alike ^-^. Don't worry, Hakuma will come around. He's a part of Ichigo's soul after all, so he shares some of Ichigo's feelings. Also, no HichiIchi. I like exploring strong relationships, and romantic relationships are only one of many. So Hakuma isn't in love with Ichigo, he's just very possessive and attached. Yeah, you're gonna have to wait for any IchiIshi. It's not just Ichigo's denseness, it's just that the situation of the next several chapters doesn't really lend itself to romance. I think Kyoka Suigetsu is going to be one of my favorite OCs to write ^_^. Everything about the Reiou will be revealed... much later. When Kira first sees Hyorinmaru, when Hitsugaya and Ichimaru fight, he says that it only shows up once every few generations. Different wielders of the same zanpaku-tou can be reincarnations of each other, but which zanpaku-tou is called forth by a shinigami depends mostly on their personality and their reason for fighting. I dunno anything about Ichigo and Ishida being reincarnations of the same person... that likely won't be a part of this story. With Karin, it wasn't me referring to Karin and Youshi as cubs - it was in her sword, Gintora's, POV, and Gintora's form is a tiger, so she refers to the other two as "cubs" because they are so much younger than her. Starkk etc. _might_ show up later on, but they'll be much different in terms of power and probably personality. Yeah, for Hanatarou and Unohana's zanpaku-tou, they don't count. The zanpaku-tou has to have been released in Hueco Mundo. Thanks for your awesome reviews and PMs!

**La terrible La -** Yeah, I considered Orihime as Kyoka Suigetsu's hiding place, because she and Aizen have a connection which will be revealed later on, but I decided Ishida was better for exactly the reasons you said. The dynamic between Engel Lanze and Kyoka Suigetsu is awesome, too ^-^. I think Shiro/Hichigo/Ogichi/Hakuma is possibly one of the most interesting characters in Bleach, next to Aizen and Gin. I wanted to do the character justice - I want to do all of the characters justice, but especially those three. Oh yeah, Orihime is wonderful, too. Most people write her off as a lovesick ditz, but there's a lot more there.

**Cased In Darkness - **I know I've said it a million times, but thanks! Super-hugz!

**ReinaDeLaNoche -** What happened to the spaces in your name? ^-^ *CYBER BEAR HUGZ BACK* For ze one-shots... still planning those, so anything's possible, I guess XD! EEP! *runs away behind a mountain* Me sorry, me sorry! But Hakuma is so possessive of Ichigo at the moment, and, and... he'll come around, so please don't kill me! Ah, yes. Grimmjow + Karin = ...TROUBLE. Ichigo will be going insane. I don't know whether I'm going to have Rukia paired with Renji or Ashido, but there's a fourth variable there on Ashido's side, so who knows. Definitely AshiRuki hints. The stormy sky in Ishida's inner world represents the chaos in the zanpaku-tou world and Engel Lanze's emotions, as well as Ishida's feelings about being a shinigami. OMAKES! I'm definitely gonna have to some of those with Bya-chan and the Female Soul Reapers Association or whatever it's called. Meeheehee... *rubs hands together wickedly*. Renji will always stay as Byakuya's lieutenant, like Ikkaku will always serve under Kenpachi. Do not worry, my friend! Yama-ji will not be bad - actually, it's because he's alowing the Vizoreds and humans to be in the Soul Society that... well... you'll see *evil grin*. Aizen will be... um... sorta a good guy, though. As for what happens when the Reiou is dethroned, that, my dear, is the crux of the story. Sorry there's no Ichigo or Ishida in this chapter; there won't be any in the next chapter, too, because of how the outline works out, but after that, it's all the main characters again. Right now, it's kinda boring around them, too. Nothin' much is really happening in the Shinigami Academy. Once Kyoka Suigetsu is gone from Ishida's soul, he won't be able to use Kanzen Saimen anymore, but Kyoka will probably have taught him some new tricks ^.-! I STRIVE TO BE BEST! I SHALL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! YAY! XD

Serisa Black - Yay, thank you for reviewing! And the glowing praise is always good for my ego ^-^. Hope you like this, sorry there's no Ichigo or Ishida, but be patient (er... please?) and I will deliver :).

**Miss Ann - **I've started using less Japanese terms as the chapters go on, but I use more in this chapter. I use them because it's very hard to express some ideas in English without being very wordy. But I think you're right; too many words is too confusing. I'll try to cut down. I'm going to revise all the previous chapters, so I'll try doing that when I do. Thanks for your input :)!


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